Ranma: Future
by DaniFuli
Summary: What happens to Ranma after the failed wedding? Does he get together with Akane at the end? Or do they split ways?(ON INDEFINITE HAITUS)
1. Chapter 1: The End of the Beginning of t

Genma Saotome was sleeping soundly in the room that he shares with Ranma and Nodoka Saotome. Nodoka has left earlier to help Kasumi Tendo to prepare breakfast.

Ranma lay in his bed, looking up at the ceiling. His hands were behind his back. He stifled a yawn as he reflects on the events from last week.

"_Last week was crazy," _Ranma thought. "_Those crazy bird people almost killed me! And I can't forget about what happened to Akane..."_

Ranma got up and started stretching, still in his thoughts.

"_I can't believe Akane almost died!" Ranma thought. "She almost died trying to save me. Do I really mean that much to her?"_

Ranma sighed. The thought of Akane really hurt him. After what happened last week, he can't look at Akane with a straight face. Is he developing feelings for her?

"_Oh Akane,"_ Ranma thought sadly. "_What am I gonna do?"_

Ranma took a glass of water from the table in the room and poured it on Genma. Genma woke up.

"What was that for?" Genma's sign read as he could not talk in his panda form.

"C'mon Pops! Let's do some training!" Ranma yelled.

"Why?" Genma's sign read.

"I need to clear my mind," Ranma said, looking away. There are just too many things in his mind and he needs a good distraction.

"I'm going back to sleep," Genma's sign read, tossing it away before laying back down on the bed.

"What?!" Ranma exclaimed in frustration. "Man, you've got to be the laziest man alive!"

"I'm a panda," is all Genma's sign read.

"Whatever" Ranma mumbled to himself. It's gonna be a long day.

**A/N:** Hello dear readers and welcome to my first Ranma fanfic. Yes, I realize that this first chapter is really short(and so will be most of the future chapters) but hear me out. By doing short chapters, I can manage my school work while having time to update frequently. Also, if it turns out that I am not getting much response or support from your readers(which is totally fine; not everybody loves someone's writing or their style) then I can drop the story or pass it to someone who can actually write. But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Anyways, please leave me a review on my chapters to give me ideas for future chapters, what I should keep and what I should take out. If any of y'all want to preview a chapter before I post, I'd more than happy. I'm actually looking for a makeshift editor so your help would be welcome, whoever decides to preview my chapters. That's all and with that, I bid you adieu.


	2. Chapter 2: A-Akane… I…

Ranma walked down the hallway to the dojo. He passed the dining room where he saw Kasumi preparing the table for breakfast. Kasumi noticed Ranma and greeted him.

"Why good morning Ranma!" exclaimed Kasumi, giving Ranma a warm small. "You slept well last night?"

Kasumi was well aware of the fact that Ranma has expressed his feelings to Akane while on the trip to Jusenkyo and that since the incident involving the Nannichuan, the distance between Ranma and Akane got bigger. It seemed absurd to Kasumi how Ranma tries to avoid Akane and not talk with her, but that can be due to the fact that their wedding ceremony was ruined by the Nannichuan and the invitation of the many guests(thanks to Nabiki). While Ranma's avoidance of Akane is absurd, it is quite amusing to Kasumi how Ranma interacts with Akane. He gets really flustered and blushes slightly that it is almost unnoticeable. Then he tries to run away, which really bothers Akane, but Ranma's new actions have become so common that it is normal and nobody questions his aloofness.

"Morin'" replies Ranma with a yawn. "I slept ok last night."

"That sounds wonderful," Kasumi said, the warm smile still on her face. "Well, breakfast will be ready pretty soon so I would recommend for you to wash up prior to eating. Of course, knowing you, you can do that after your short training session if you like."

"Yeah, I'll do that," said Ranma as he headed for the dojo.

Kasumi started to head back to the kitchen when she remembered something.

"_Oh dear,"_ Kasumi thought. "_Akane's in the dojo..." _Kasumi wondered it she should tell Ranma before she realized she had more pressing issues.

"_That's right! Breakfast won't cook itself."_

And with that, Kasumi disappeared into the kitchen.

…

At the same time as this, Ranma was walking down the hallway.

"_Hmm… I wonder where mom is. I didn't see her with Kasumi."_

Ranma's mom, Nodoka, is, well, something. Being old fashioned and whatnot, she was willing to be the kaishakunin in Genma and Ranma's seppuku. Now, those were very drastic measures to take if Ranma was not "manly" to Nodoka.

"_I hope nobody has to die at the hands of my mom,"_ Ranma thought, shuddering at fact on how close he came to death. "_Maybe my mom should be an assassin. Maybe even a hitwoman..."_

Ranma shook his head. What was he thinking? If his mom went into a life of killing... well, things would be interesting

Ranma sighed. "_I hope Akane's not in the dojo. Sure, she's a macho chick, but even she wouldn't get this early."_ After the incident a week ago, Ranma has been thinking of what he would say to Akane when he was ready to talk. The best he got is this: "Akane… I, well, I'm sorry, y'know? I had you go through all that trouble last week for you to almost die and I'm sorry. And when I heard about the Nannichuan your dad was keeping, I should've not focused on that. I should've on you cuz Akane, I… um… I, kinda, sorta, love you."

"_No, stupid. I can't say that. That would make things more awkward between us! Then I definitely will never speak to her again! That'll hurt too much!"_

Ranma finally reached the dojo. He opened the door and…. What do you know? Akane's right there practicing on a dummy that sorta resembles Ranma.

Ranma just stood there. Akane noticed him after a moment. They stared at each other. They didn't know what to say to the other after a week of no interactions. The silence consumed them. It spoke volumes.

And then….

**A/N:** Hey you guys! How's it going? Good, I hope. Anyways, I have finished chapter 2 and... wow. That was horrid. Terrible writing. Even I can tell how bad it is. So why am I publishing it? Cuz I want to see what y'all think. There'll only be, what, 6-7 readers? That's enough for feedback and how I should continue with this story. So if any of y'all have any suggestions, could ya comment? That'd be great. And if any of y'all have a great idea for a chapter, leave that in the comment as well. Welp, that's it from me so I guess that's it. Bye!


	3. Chapter 3: An Uncalled for Encounter

Nabiki woke up with that sinister smile she has, the one that instills both calmness and fear.

"_Ah yes," _she thought. "Another _day full of chances to rip off another person. Lemme get my polaroid and take some pictures of Ranko."_

Nabiki cackled at the thought of catching Ranma fast asleep at this time of day and turning him into his other half.

"_I'll charge Kuno-baby extra for these."_

Nabiki opened the door and…. no Ranma to be seen. Typical.

Nabiki sighed. "_He's probably in the dojo."_

Nabiki walked down the hallway to the dining room when suddenly she remembered that Akane wasn't in her room.

"_Is Akane in the dojo?"_

Nabiki rushed to the dojo and ... speak of the devil. In the center_, Ranma and Akane are exchanging_ some … well-chosen words.

"_Now this, this is interesting," _thought Nabiki, trying to listen onto the conversation to glean whatever she could use to blackmail either Ranma or Akane.

….

Ranma was having an encounter for Akane too early in the morning.

"_This is totally uncalled for," _Ranma thought, panicking. He felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins, telling him to take flight and escape.

Akane could see that Ranma was attempting to escape.

"Oh no you don't," Akane said. "We need to have a talk."

Akane jumped over Ranma just as he was turning around, blocking from the doors that led out of the dojo.

"Either fight me or talk. Your choice," said Akane adamantly. Sadness and anger consumed her. "_Does Ranma not realize how much he hurts me by not talking to me?"_

"C'mon Akane," Ranma said, desperate to leave the dojo. He REALLY didn't want to have this conversation with Akane at this very moment. "Can we talk later?"

Akane ignored him. She started attacking Ranma savagely, punching him rapidly. Ranma covered his head and body, trying to minimize the damage.

Then, out of nowhere, she stopped. Ranma uncovered himself and looked up at Akane's face. "_She's… crying?" _

"Remember last week when I was cooking in the kitchen?" Akane asked, coking on her words and gasping for air, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Remember?"

"Uh..."

"You walked in while I was cooking," Akane continued with a little more control and no visible tears and a steady voice. "You walked in and… and the skillet caught on fire. You walked past me. Y-you didn't even bat an eye at me. D-do you really hate me that much? Do you really not care about me?"

Akane couldn't hold it in anymore. She started wailing and almost ran out of the dojo when suddenly…

"Akane, wait!" Ranma shouted. He doesn't know what caused him to shout out Akane's name, but somehow he did and there isn't any turning back.

Akane stopped short of the dojo doors. Nabiki let out a sigh of relief. _If Akane saw me out here, she woulda killed me._ Nabiki got up and wiped the dust off of her legs. _Well this isn't going anywhere. In a minute, Daddy will come downstairs with his buddy and their gonna ruin all of this._

Sure enough, as Nabiki was going to brush her teeth, Soun came down the stairs, followed by Genma in his panda form.

"Hey, Daddy," said Nabiki as she passed them.

"Hmm?" Soun, being in his sleepy state, could not bother to say words to his middle daughter.

"I thought you might want to know this," Nabiki said, making sure that neither Akane or Ranma had left the dojo, "but I think that Ranma is confessing his love to Akane."

Soun's eyes shot up with life. Genma raised a wooden sign that read "Oh My!"

"That's wonderful!" Soun exclaimed excitedly, getting ready to run to greet both Ranma and Akane. "Err... where are they?"

"5000 yen and I'll tell you," Nabiki said, rubbing her eyes. _I should drink some coffee._

Soun's smile faltered, but only slightly. He sighed.

"Fine," Soun said, turning to his friend. "Gimme 5000 yen."

"Que, que? Me no hablo japonés" read Genma's wooden sign.

"We both know that you can speak Japanese," Soun said, starting to get frustrated.

"Ima panda. I don't own money" read Genma's next sign.

"You are a freeloader! Give me the money right now or I'm kicking you out!"

"Why'd ya gotta be so rude? Don'tcha know I'm human too?" Genma's last sign read.

"Why you-" Soun said before wrestling his gluttonous friend. "Hand over the money!"

Nabiki sighed as she watched all of this happen in front of her. _Why did I even ask for money? Daddy was obviously not gonna and it over. Oh well. Their loss_.

And with that, Nabiki walked away, humming to herself, thinking of all the other possible ways she could make money. After all, she is a slave to money.

...

Meanwhile, back in the dojo, Akane has stopped before the doors. She wants to hear what Ranma has to say.

There is a moment of silence.

"Well?" Akane asked with irritation. _Ranma is really pissing me off! That dummy, that jerk!_

Ranma, sensing Akane's anger, went ahead with what he had to say. He'd like to avoid being hit by a mallet.

"Um, Akane, so… I'd like to say that I'm sorry," Ranma started off by saying, playing with his fingers. A slight blush appeared on his face, which Akane noticed and she started blushing. "_Wait.. why am I blushing?"_

"I'm sorry that I hurt you. And last week, when your dad set up the … the ceremony and I heard about the Nannichuan, I shouldn't have focused on that cuz I think that hurt you. Did it hurt you?" Ranma stopped fidgeting, looking up at Akane with worry, giving her attention that she wasn't used to.

Akane started blushing. Of course, Ranma being Ranma, didn't notice this.

"W-well yeah, y-you did hurt me then," Akane managed to say. "But when you started ignoring me, that hurt me the most."

"Yeah… I'm sorry 'bout that as well," Ranma said. He wasn't scared anymore, but he sure was nervous. As both he and Akane stood there, a silence consumed them. Neither didn't know what to say. Then Ranma opened his mouth.

"Ok… I have been in the dark for months now, but I think it's time for you to know," said Ranma, looking deeply into Akane's eyes as if he was trying to read what she was thinking.

Akane got scared. This was a new Ranma! One she hasn't experienced just yet.

"Ok, here goes," Ranma sighed. "Akane, I, Ranma Saotome, have to confess that I..."

...

A/N: Hey guys! How's it going? Well anyways... we made it to chapter 3. Crazy, right? I didn't think I was gonna make it this far, but somehow, someway, I did. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and remember, your comments are appreciated. So thanks for reading and I'll see you next time(or rather you'll read the next chapter and we will figuratively see each other)


	4. Ranma's Declaration of Love!(Or Is It?)

Nodoka Saotome was walking back to the Tendo Household after returning a book that Kasumi had borrowed from Dr. Tofu. Kasumi had initially offered to go by herself to return the book, but Nodoka had heard what happens every time Dr. Tofu sees Kasumi, so Nodoka volunteered to deliver the book. It's too early in the morning for someone to die. "_Besides, I don't mind," _Nodoka thought to herself, walking down the street. "_Genma only cares about food and money; nothing else; I need a man who pays attention to me and understands me, not some lousy excuse for a man like my husband." _

Nodoka sighed. It's not like it would ever happen. She's just miffed after what happened last week with the Nannichuan. She wanted Ranma to have to be a full man again, not half man, half woman. Then Genma and those other bastards showed up and ruined everything. While she hid her anger well, she unleashed her wrath upon Genma behind closed doors.

As Nodoka reached the entrance to the Tendo Household, she heard Genma and Soun fighting.

"_That bastard! I can't leave him for 10 minutes without him creating some kind of problem!" _Nodoka thought angrily. "_He can burn in Hell for all I care!"_

Nodoka rounded the corner and into the house. She was gonna teach him manners. Yes, that is what she gonna do. Teach Genma some manners and make him pay for all the trouble he causes.

Nodoka watched as Genma(in his stupid panda form) crashed through the dojo door along with Soun. But Genma was not on her mind. As they crashed through the doors, Nodoka caught a glimpse of Ranma… holding Akane's hands?

"_Is Ranma finally being a man and proposing his love for Akane?" _Nodoka thought happily. She hoped this was true.

…

Before this, Ranma was in the dojo, ready to tell his true feelings the Akane.

"Akane, I, Ranma Saotome, have to confess that I..." Ranma said, pausing to look up at Akane. If he was gonna say his true feelings, he was gonna say it to her face.

When Ranma looked up at Akane she started to blush. She had never seen Ranma be this direct before and she wasn't sure if she was ready to meet this new Ranma.

"... Go on..." Akane said hesitantly. She was nervous about what Ranma had to say and kinda hoping that he would say the three words she wanted to hear from with affection and meaning.

"It's that, well, I, uh.." Ranma stuttered. He couldn't say it! He couldn't say the one phrase he has been hiding from since the day he met her!

"Yes?" Akane's heart was racing. It was beating so loudly, it drove her to the stage of embarrassment. Was Ranma finally going to say the three words she has always wanted to hear?

Ranma gulped. Could he do it? Could he express his feelings? "_Yes, yes, I can do it," Ranma thought. "I'm gonna express my feelings cuz if I don't, we'll keep hurting each other more. And if I'm gonna do this, I need to go all out."_

Ranma, with a new sense of purpose, grabbed Akane's hands.

"Akane, whatever I tell you, you won't hate me for it or use it against me. Deal?" Ranma asked, hoping Akane does not take this the wrong way.

Akane started blushing. This was turning more and more into a love confession. "S-sure Ranma," Akane managed to choke out.

Ranma took a deep breath and said, "Akane, I looo-"

Before Ranma could finish what he was trying to say, the dojo door broke open as Soun and Genma came crashing in due to their fight. A split second later, Ranma let go of Akane's hands. Soun and Genma did not notice this due to their fight.

"Hand over that 5000 yen, you freeloader!" Soun yelled

Genma roared as if to say "Never!"

Their fighting stopped when Ranma put his foot up to Genma's face and Akane restrained her Dad by pulling on his arm.

"Dad, were you really fighting Mr. Saotome for 5000 yen?" Akane growled at her father. Ranma was about to say something really important and now she was gonna have to wait!

"Pops, really? You couldn't hand over a measly 5000 yen?" Ranma questioned his dad, disappointed that he never got to say what he wanted. "_I just hope things get better between me 'kane."_

"The real question is what are you two doing in here so early in the morning!" exclaimed Soun, microphone in hand. "Were you two… expressing your love?" At this moment, Genma held a sign that read "Oh My!"

Akane blush furiously and said, "N-no! I and Ranma were just-" while Ranma said, "Me? Love this macho chick? Puh-lez."

Ranma and Akane looked at each other. "_Shit, I said the wrong thing," Ranma thought darkly. "Curse my big mouth."_

There was hurt in Akane's eyes but that didn't last long as her anger consumed her.

"Why you!" Akane shouted, grabbing Ranma and kicking him into space. Ranma expected it, after all. It was inevitable.

Just then, Kasumi entered the dojo and looked at the mess. "Oh my! Looks like I will be busy this afternoon," Kasumi said in her calm and sweet voice, oblivious to the fact that Ranma was missing and the murderous look on Akane. "Well, breakfast is ready!"

...

A/N: And that, my fellow readers, is chapter 4. I hope you enjoyed, although the ending was meh and maybe a little cringy, but was best I could do considering my other... ideas. Also, you may have noticed the words I've been using. From this point forward, I may use those types of aggressive words so if you feel like you cannot handle it, by all means, tell me in comments and I'll pull them out effective immediately. Or you could stop reading, but I wouldn't want that to happen. Also, please leave comments for me. You could possibly give me ideas for the next chapter or a suggestion of a story later on. Any and all comments will help me, no matter how feeble. Well, that's it for me and have a good ebening.


	5. Chapter 5: Ryoga Comes To Town!

As Ranma was flying through the air, he had time to reflect on what he said.

"_Man, I was so close to saying what I wanted to say. Then Pops and ruined it! Those bastards!" _thought Ranma, frustrated and angry. "_Then I ruined everything else by opening my big mouth!"_

Ranma sighed. There was nothing he could do except confront Akane and start speaking to her before trying something like what happened in the dojo again. Or he could keep on avoiding Akane which would not help anyone and make the situation worse.

Meanwhile, Ryoga Hibiki has entered Nemira after deciding it was a good idea to go on a training journey. He left Akari on her farm, where he had been working for the past week. But one day, he realized he missed going on journeys and, while he would not admit it to anyone, he kinda missed sparring with Ranma. So he left on a training journey, leaving Akari behind, promising her that he will be back soon, and hoping that, somehow, someway, he ends up in Nemira.

After 4 days, he finally reached Nemira. He was at the end of his wits. If only he could follow simple directions…

"_Finally..." _Ryoga thought as he stepped into Nemira. "_It only took me 4 days to find. Sure, I could have found Nemira sooner if I hadn't gone all the way to Yokohama. Or Kyoto. I don't even know how I ended up in Okinawa! But that doesn't matter. I will finally see my sweet Akane again!"_

Ryoga had taken a step forward when he realized something.

"_No! I can't be in love with Akane because I'm in love with Akari! Right?"_

Ryoga dropped onto his knees in his confusion. Who does he love more? Akari or Akane?

Meanwhile, Ranma was still flying through the sky, reflecting on what he said and cursing himself. "_Why did I say what I said?"_ Ranma wonders to himself. He really is bad at keeping his mouth shut.

As Ranma is falling, catches a glance of Ryoga on his hands and knees. _What's he doing?_

Ryoga, still on the ground, questioning himself on who he loves, doesn't notice Ranma and where he's going until it's too late. A second later and Ryoga feels as if his heads gonna burst, followed by a response from an individual that Ryoga knows well.

"Yo, Mr. P! What's up?" Ranma gets off of Ryoga's head and sits on the ground next to Ryoga as if nothing happened.

Ryoga, extremely annoyed, decides to attack Ranma.

"Why you bastard! I'm making the biggest decision of my life and you decide to come flying and hit my head?" Ryoga screamed at Ranma. Ranma, being Ranma, shrugged it off.

"Big deal, P-Chan. You have all the time in the world to make your big decision," Ranma said, standing up, dusting off his clothes and stretching.

"Now you've done it!" Ryoga drew back his arm, preparing to punch Ranma. "Go to Hell!"

Ryoga's fist made contact with Ranma's stomach, causing him to take flight again.

"What'd I doooo-" was all Ranma could say before blasting off into space again(maybe he should join Team Rocket...).

Ryoga started breathing heavily after punching Ranma. Concentrating all of his anger in one punch left Ryoga exhausted. Ryoga sighed. Here he thought that Ranma was his friend, one he missed, and then he said that? Does Ranma not know how he feels after what happened Jusendo?

Ryoga shook his head. "_No, I can't change Ranma,"_ Ryoga thought to himself, grabbing his pack and umbrella off the ground. "_Because Ranma is Ranma, and there is nobody like him."_

Ryoga finally got everything he needed and started walking when a question entered his conscious.

"Say, which way is the Tendo Dojo?" he thought out loud.

Ryoga walked up to an intersection and looked both ways. "_I think I take a right here,"_ thought Ryoga as he promptly took a left. It's gonna be a long day.

…

"Akane, you didn't have hit Ranma so," said Soun at breakfast. His face was, as usual, behind the newspaper, which he put down at intervals to take bites of his food.

"Well, he deserved it!" berated Akane angrily. With that, she went back to her food. At least it was easier to hold back her tears this way.

Everyone(except Genma cuz… it's Genma)seemed to notice the sadness contained within Akane.

Soun sighed. He knew that Ranma wasn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed(something he learned after living almost a year under the same roof), but he knew that Ranma has always had feelings for Akane(and vice versa). And if last week didn't prove his point, then Soun doesn't know what does.

"_Somebody needs to teach that boy on how to be a man," _thought Soun as he went back to reading his newspaper. "_Yes, he is a talented martial artist, but he absolutely no manners. On top of that, he cannot talk to women. It is a shame, but I intend to fix him!"_

Soun looked to his fat-loving friend as he inhaled bowl after bowl of rice. "_No wonder Ranma's Ranma," _Soun thought, mentally sighing. "_If it were not for this fat fuck(no offense Genma) then Ranma wouldn't be who he is. But not to worry; I can fix him! I just need to find the manliest man..."_

Soun pondered at that thought. Who is the manliest man? Definitely not Ranma due to obvious reasons. Oh well. Soun has all day to find out who that person is.

As everybody was about to finish breakfast, Ranma came flying and crashed into the koi pond.

"That bastard!" yelled female Ranma(or Ranko).

"Why, hello Ranma!" exclaimed Kasumi, her warm smile gracing her face. "I see you are taking a swim in the pond. Don't stay too long or you'll catch a cold!"

Ranma got out of the pond and dashed to the kitchen to get some hot water, drying herself up with paper towels in the process. Ranma, now a biological man and mostly dry, stepped out of the kitchen and sat down next to Akane, his usual seat.

Nabiki decided now was a good time to leave. "_I'm not gonna sit through another rant, if there is one,"_ Nabiki thought, standing up. "Well, I guess I'll be heading to school," said Nabiki, walking to the front door and grabbing her school bag and shoes. "Don't be late, my dear sister. And remember to bring Saotome with you."

A minute or so after Nabiki left, Akane abruptly stood up. "Thanks for breakfast, Kasumi," Akane said. She looked to her left to see Ranma inhale more and more rice without even chewing. Boys will be boys, eh?

"And you," said Akane, annoyed at the fact that Ranma ignored her during breakfast, grabbing Ranma's iconic pig-tail. "You _baka_, you're coming with me!"

Akane pulled Ranma all the way to the front doors. Ranma had let go of the bowl of rice in his hands as he reached for Akane's hands.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Ranma yelled at Akane. He could understand her feelings. He could not understand, however, why Akane thought that pulling Ranma by his hair was a fair punishment.

Akane released Ranma as they reached the front door. She grabbed her bag and shoes while Ranma remained seated on the floor, rubbing his head. He glared at her as Akane put on her shoes. The battle ki emitting from both was intense. There was no stopping what might happen next.

"What was that for!" yelled Ranma at Akane. His hair was still sore for obvious reasons.

"Well, if you hadn't said what you said, this wouldn't have happened!" countered Akane. Even now, the anger and sadness she encountered earlier stayed with her.

Ranma felt a figurative stab on his back. "_I mean, she's not wrong,"_ said his conscious. He knew what he said was wrong and, to be honest, he deserved what he got. Ranma sighed. There was no point in fighting anymore. He walked past Akane and slipped on his shoes while grabbing his back, which he promptly put on his back. He turned to a confused Akane, obviously surprised by Ranma's actions. She didn't think that Ranma could act so… mature.

As if reading her mind, Ranma rolled his eyes. "C'mon Akane. After all this time, you really think I'm a little kid? An inconsiderate kid? Sure, I did say… well, you know what I said and I regret saying it, but that was an outburst. I promise it won't happen again. So, can we let bygones be bygones?"

Ranma looked at Akane, who looked in serious thought. Akane was considering this and could understand Ranma's outburst in the dojo. If their fathers knew about their true feelings, they would be asking for a wedding immediately, something neither Ranma nor Akane is ready for.

Akane sighed. "Fine. We let bygones be bygones. But on the condition that you control your outbursts. And you will NOT talk badly about me in any way. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," replied Ranma, happy that the conflict was solved, even if there were some conditions he had to follow. "Well then, let's go!"

Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and started running out the door. Akane was surprised but got into character and was able to keep up with Ranma. They rounded the corner as Kasumi said, "Have a good day you two!"

"H-hey Ranma! Slow down, will you? I can't keep up!" Ranma slowed down upon hearing this, but didn't let go of Akane's hand. It took a minute, but Akane realized this and started blushing. _Wait… why am I blushing?_

Akane swatted at his hand. "Hey let go!"

Ranma let go of Akane's hand after she hit him. He looked at his hand, staring it down as if trying to discover its secret(if it even had one to begin with….).

Akane walked a few steps ahead when she realized that Ranma wasn't next to her. She turned back to see Ranma staring at his hand in the middle of the road. Annoyed, she said, "Hurry Ranma! If we waste any more time, we'll be late again!"

Ranma looked up to meet Akane's eyes. Slowly he smiled. A smile Akane could never forget. Slowly, she started blushing. "W-what is it?" she asked, trying to hide her blush.

Still smiling, Ranma said, "I'm glad we're speaking again." Ranma had a broad grin on his face. "I really missed you."

Quietly, but loud enough for Ranma to hear, Akane said, "Me too." A blush still graced her face.

"Well then, to school we go!" Ranma jogged to catch up to where Akane was and took a few steps forward before stopping again. He turned to Akane, who was behind him(still blushing), and extended his hand. "You coming?"

Akane looked at Ranma's hand and realized that he was inviting her to hold hands. To hold hands like a couple. A couple. Was Ranma finally admitting his feelings?

Akane looked at the hand tentatively and looked up to Ranma for reassurance. Ranma gestured her to take his hand. At that moment, Akane could've died happy. Ranma wanted her by his side. "_I mean, why else would he want to hold hands?"_

Smiling, Akane reached for Ranma's hand when suddenly…

"Sike!" Ranma pulled back his hand, faced forward, and started running. "C'mon Akane, we're gonna be late!"

Akane was initially shocked but quickly recovered. Her shock converted into anger.

"Why you!" Akane clenched her hands and closed her eyes, the expression she does whenever she gets mad. "BAKA!"

Ranma kept on running, ahead of Akane, laughing. Akane chased Ranma, further behind Ranma, cussing him out(Ranma deserved it, after all).

But Ranma wasn't taunting Akane. And Akane wasn't trying to hit Ranma. They were toying with each other, having fun in their own ways.

Maybe the future's looking bright for Ranma and Akane. Just maybe….

...

A/N: So. Chapter 5. Yeah... that was a fun chapter to write. I'm kinda proud of the ending. I started off rough and I finished in a place I didn't expect to finish. And I wrote it in one week! I feel so accomplished, but I just want to say that I won't be updating weekly. Bi-weekly updates favor my current school schedule more than a weekly update schedule. At the latest, expect one update a month. Also, I hope you enjoyed the references I made(which may have been cringy but, hey, I need the humor to keep on coming). One thing I wanted to ask you guys is this: do you think I should call Ranma's female form "She-Ra?" I know that's already a character but I just don't like Ranko. That was just a name Ranma gave himself so that he wouldn't be exposed by his mom before she knew about his curse. And I'm not calling Ranma Ranma in his female form cuz I feel like he acts differently in each gender like how humans act differently in real life. So two separate people, while in the same body, need separate names. Another thing: ignore the title. I realize that this chapter had nothing impactful to do with Ryoga, but it was the best I could come up with. Well, I guess that's it. Remember to leave suggestions and whatnot in reviews. Thanks for sticking around for this and reading this. Like seriously, y'all are making one highschool sophomore very happy. Anyways, I'll see you guys(figuratively) in the next chapter. And with that, I bid you adieu.


	6. The Walk of Confusion(Deal With It)

**A/N: **So I usually don't do this, but something must be said...

First off, the chapter you will read will pretty OOC(you'll understand why in about 30 seconds, give or take).

Second, I was REALLY lost when writing this. Like, seriously, I was stuck at times. I had a reader give me some suggestions(which were great; props to you **funsizeddreams**). While I appreciated those suggestions, I could not fit them in this chapter as I was confused with the plot of this chapter. In these regards, the chapter may be a little cringy.

You have been warned. Read at your discretion.

Well, that's it for now. Enjoy the chapter!

**Disclaimer**: I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

...

"Almost there..." Ryoga huffed. Even though he had been walking around Nemira(presumably trying to find the Tendo Dojo) for a little more than an hour, it felt like he was walking for days. "Almost there... " Ryoga huffed again, wiping the sweat off of his brow before collapsing.

Meanwhile, Akane was still(unsuccessfully) chasing Ranma.

"Baka!" exclaimed Akane, a voice full of happiness rather than malice. "Get back here!"

"Catch me if you can!" Ranma laughed at Akane's feeble attempts to catch him.

They turned onto the road on which Ryoga collapsed. When he heard Akane's laughter, Ryoga's head up. Right there, in front of him, stood Akane, panting after all the running, a smile stretched upon her face. Ryoga couldn't tell who or what was making Akane so happy. All he wanted to do was talk to Akane.

Ryoga got off of the ground and started running towards Akane.

"Akane-"

**SPLASH**

The old lady who, every morning, threw out water onto the street, decided to splash Ryoga into P-Chan. The transformation was instantaneous. His body turned all black as his nose turned into a snout and his ears become sharp and pointy. His hands and feet became hooves and his body shrank considerably. The only thing that remained on him that gave any indication that this tiny black pig was Ryoga was the bandana off his neck.

P-Chan squealed in frustration.

Upon hearing her name, Akane turned around. Fortunately for Ryoga, the transformation had already occurred so all Akane saw was a pile of wet clothes and a very angry black pig. A pig she could never forget.

"P-Chan!" exclaimed Akane.

P-Chan's frustration evaporated as he jumped into the arms of Akane, oinking in joy(that's what pigs do, right?).

"Oh, P-Chan. I missed so much!" Akane grabbed P-Chan from mid-air and hugged him very close to her… well, take a guess.

Ranma walked back to where Akane was when he realized she wasn't chasing him. He was confused because the Akane he knew would never give up on something, even if that something was chasing people down.

When he could see Akane's arms, Ranma understood exactly why Akane stopped in the middle of the road.

"Yo, Mr. P. Wassup?" Ranma casually asked, leaning on Akane.

At the sight of Ranma, P-Chan started squealing in anger.

"Shh-" Akane rubbed P-Chan's head, trying to calm him down. "Ranma's not going to hit you."

But P-Chan didn't calm down. He jumped out of Akane's hands and bit Ranma for his earlier encounter with P-Chan.

"Take that!" P-Chan thought to himself.

Ranma yelped in pain.

"You bastard!" Ranma screamed, grabbing P-Chan and hurling him into a nearby wall.

"Baka!" Akane screamed, pulling out her mallet(where'd that come from?) and hitting Ranma square on the head. Ranma fell to the ground with a dazed expression on his face, his hands in the iconic Devil's Horns gesture.

Akane dropped her mallet and rushed to P-Chan.

"P-Chan!" Akane hugged him very tightly, instantly reviving him. "Are you hurt?"

Akane glared at an unconscious Ranma. "I'll make sure he never hurts you again."

After carefully inspecting P-Chan, Akane placed him in her bag before realizing how late she and Ranma were.

"We're gonna be late!" gasped Akane. She turned to Ranma and started kicking him to get him(as if that was helpful). "Wake up Ranma!"

All Ranma did was groan. Akane sighed. "Well, I guess it was my fault he's in this condition," admitted Akane. "No matter what, I can't just leave him lying here. What if ... one of his other…. 'fiancees' come?"

After much internal debate(which lasted at most two minutes; hey, Akane has quick resolves) Akane grabbed Ranma by the hair(once again) and started dragging him to school. Sure, she could have woken him up, but he didn't want to get up after her first attempt, and Akane didn't have the patience to properly wake up Ranma. Plus, pulling Ranma's pig-tail was much easier and more efficient. But she didn't make headway since….

…

Ranma, in his unconscious state, was having a terrifying nightmare(daymare?). He dreamt that he was thrown into a pit ... full of cats. The problem was that he couldn't move.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!" Ranma screamed in his dream. The cats were pronouncing him, scratching his back and arms, opening up the flesh that was concealed by his skin.

Because of his dream, Ranma was moving involuntarily as Akane dragged him to school. Even though Akane was still mad at him for his earlier actions, she was worried about the state. Akane checked her surroundings to see if they were anything she could use to wake up Ranma. She didn't have the heart to hit Ranma with the mallet so she guessed water would do.

Akane heard splashing behind her. She turned around and grinned. It was the same old lady who splashed Ryoga(now P-Chan). The old lady was still ladling water onto the street.

Akane walked up to the old lady. "May I borrow some of that water?" she asked, her iconic smile on her face.

…

One minute Ranma was staring at a bunch of cats with their claws out, ready to attack. Next minute he felt water splash all over his body as he woke up as a she.

Ranko spits out the water that had gotten into her water. She glared at Akane as she did this.

"Hey, what gives Akane?" Ranko growled. She was pissed at what happened(even though she didn't know what REALLY happened).

All Akane did was hug Ranko. This startled her. Ranko's anger transformed into confusion. "What happened?" Ranko thought, returning Akane's hug. Not that she was complaining. Ranko(and, in turn, Ranma) enjoyed the hugs from her blue-haired fiancee.

After a moment of hugging each other, Ranko and Akane broke apart at the sound of P-Chan's squealing. He had seen what had happened and it irritated him that Ranma's female form was on the receiving end of Akane's hug and not P-Chan himself.

After releasing Ranko from her hug, Akane blushed ever so slightly but hid it by responding to P-Chan's squealing. "Jealous much?" Akane giggled. A pig? Jealous? The thought seemed so silly that it just couldn't be true.

As Akane rubbed P-Chan's head to calm him down, she turned her attention to Ranko, who was heating some hot water(yea, Ryoga's bag was just laying there and it would be a real shame if it was not used to its fullest advantage).

P-Chan could see the love in Akane's eyes. Love for Ranma. He had a hunch that Akane was harboring for Ranma, but P-Chan needed to see it to believe. Now that he was sure of Akane's feelings, he could leave her for good and chase his true lover, Akari.

"Goodbye," P-Chan thought as he escaped Akane's grip and started running away.

Akane was surprised when suddenly ran off. "P-Chan!" she cried. "Come back!"

But P-Chan didn't go back. He ran off, away from Nemira, possibly forever.

Ranma stood next to Akane as she watched P-Chan run away, her face full of worry. He wanted to comfort her but…

"Um… Akane?" Ranma tapped Akane's shoulder.

"Hmm?" Akane was still staring at the general area where P-Chan had run to.

"... We gotta get to school," Ranma said bluntly.

"Oh!" Akane totally forgot about school during the confusion that occurred. She grabbed her bag(which happened to be next to her) and started running off. "Come on Ranma!"

Ranma ran off after Akane and soon, the two were running side by side.

...

Meanwhile, P-Chan had gotten lost seconds after running off. "Where am I?" he thought. "How do I get home?"

What a loser.

...

**A/N:** I see you have made it to the end. Well done! Maybe I did a good job this time around...

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter(tho it was a little OOC). Also, I realize that the title is lame. I couldn't come up with anything creative, so deal with it.

Anyways, remember to post reviews on my story. PM me if you have any suggestions/questions. I think that's about it. Until next time, farewell my fellow readers(I feel like I sound like Kuno now...)!


	7. Chapter 7: The Joy of all Joys

**A/N:** Alright lads and lassies. I'm a man true to my word and so, 2 weeks(and a day) after my last update, I bring you this: Chapter 7. This time, I wrote the story a little differently than my previous chapters. I just put down idea after idea that came in my mind and I think I made a pretty good story. Of course, that's for you to judge, but I didn't do too bad, if I do say so myself. Just so you know, I pulled a classic Takahashi card. Waff immediately followed with comedy. Also, props to **commanderbog** for giving me the idea about our favorite little stalker, Gosunkugi. Anyways, that's it from(for now). Enjoy the story.

**Disclaimer:** I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

...

"This is all your fault."

"What are you talking about, 'Kane?"

"This." Akane held up one of her buckets full of water to Ranma's face.

"Hey, if P-Chan hadn't distracted you, we would've made it to school on time!"

"Hmmp!" Akane knew this was true, but she wasn't going to admit it.

_"You stubborn girl,"_ Ranma thought angrily, glaring at Akane. She glared right back at him.

Suddenly, a student came crashing out of their classroom door. Ranma and Akane were startled by this sudden action.

"... And don't come back in here!" yelled a stern Ms. Hinako.

Said kid turned out to be Gosunkugi in all his gothic glory.

"Oi, Gosunkugi," Ranma said, placing down his buckets of water to help Gosunkugi. "What happened in there?"

Gosunkugi brushed off his clothes before turning to a curious Ranma and concerned Akane.

Gosunkugi sighed happily. _"My sweet Akane cares about my well-being,"_ thought Gosunkugi. _"The kami must be on my side."_

Ranma saw the expression on Gosunkugi's face and shook his face._ "What is the weirdo dreaming about now?"_

Ranma walked up to Gosunkugi and shook his body. "Hello!" exclaimed Ranma. "Earth to Gosunkugi!"

Gosunkugi snapped back into reality(leaving his blissful daydream of Akane behind; hopefully he realizes he doesn't have a chance with her). "Yes?" he asked, oblivious to the death stare Ranma was giving him.

Ranma took a deep breath in. _"I gotta calm,"_ he thought. _"Breathe in, breathe out."_

"What happened to you?" asked a calm Ranma.

"Well, you see, what happened was..." Gosunkugi started recalling the events that occurred moments ago.

_Flashback_

_"Mr. Saotome, Ms. Tendo," adult Ms. Hinako said. "Please stand outside with these buckets."_

_Ranma and Akane walked out with buckets full of water._

_Gosunkugi watched Akane as she walked out of the classroom._

_"This is obviously Ranma's fault," Gosunkugi thought. "It's his fault that Akane got in trouble."_

_Gosunkugi decided to inspect his voodoo dolls. "After all, I need to prepare these dolls to curse Ranma Saotome." he thought, dreaming of all the different things that could happen to Ranma._

_Unfortunately, Ms. Hinako saw Gosunkugi's dolls. Even more unfortunate is the fact that Ms. Hinako was in her child form._

_Ms. Hinako walked up to Gosunkugi. "Are those your dolls, Gosunkugi?" Ms. Hinako exclaimed in her high pitched voice. "Canihaveonecanihaveonecanihaveone?"_

_"Umm... " Gosunkugi didn't know what to do. He started to laugh nervously as his classmates observed this peculiar exchange._

_Upon hearing Gosunkugi laughing, child form Ms. Hinako started bawling._

_"Waah!" she cried, rolling on the floor like a five-year-old (to be fair, she is technically a five year old). "Gosunkugi's mean to me!"_

_The girls in the class went to comfort Ms. Hinako(glaring at Gosunkugi as they did so) while the boys in the class confronted Gosunkugi, cracking their knuckles and shaking their heads in disappointment._

_"Oi, Gosunkugi," said Daisuke. "Why couldn't you give Ms. Hinako one of your voodoo dolls?"_

_"Umm..." Gosunkugi gulped nervously. He knew he couldn't escape the situation he was in. He could either comply with their demands or get seriously injured. He preferred the former._

_"Fine," Gosunkugi sighed. He got up from his desk and walked to where child form Ms. Hinako was. "Here, Ms. Hinako. Have a doll."_

_Gosunkugi pulled out a doll and held it in front of Ms. Hinako._

_Ms. Hinako looked at it and glared at Gosunkugi_

_"First you don't give me a doll and now you mock me?" Ms. Hinako pouted. "For this, you must pay!"_

_Child Ms. Hinako got out a 5 yen piece._

_"Happo 5 yen attack!" child Ms. Hinako screamed. The students watched in awe as all of Gosunkugi's energy was sucked out of him. He slumped to the ground as Ms. Hinako became an adult._

_Adult Ms. Hinako looked down at Gosunkugi and sighed. "You kids have no discipline," she declared. "Go to the principal and don't come back in here!"_

_Ms. Hinako readied her 5 yen piece for a second attack._

_"5 yen return!" Ms. Hinako exclaimed. Using all the energy Ms. Hinako had gotten from Gosunkugi in her first attack, she blasted Gosunkugi through the door and watched in satisfaction as he groaned in pain. By this point, Ms. Hinako had become a child again._

_Child Ms. Hinako turned her attention to her class once more._

_"Now then," she said, walking to the front of the classroom. "Where were we?"_

…

"... And that's what happened," Gosunkugi said, reaching the end of his tale.

Ranma and Akane looked at each other and started laughing.

Gosunkugi looked confused as Ranma and Akane kept on laughing.

"Man, Ms. Hinako can attack people for the pettiest of reasons," Ranma managed to say, trying to control his laughter, but failing miserably.

"I know, right?" Akane responded doing much better than Ranma at controlling her laughter.

"Say, Gosunkugi," said Ranma, finally in control of his breathing. "Why didn't you just give Ms. Hinako a doll?"

"Umm.." Gosunkugi knew he couldn't tell the truth or he'd be dead. _"What can I say?"_ he thought.

"It's probably for his weird voodoo doll rituals." Akane turned to Gosunkugi. "Right, Gosunkugi?"

Gosunkugi could feel his heartbreaking. _"No!"_ he screamed mentally. _"My sweet, sweet Akane just called me weird!"_ Gosunkugi glared at Ranma, who was shaking his head and smiling at what Akane said. _"It's obviously his fault,"_ Gosunkugi thought darkly.

If he could, Gosunkugi would do the Shi-Shi Hokodan on Ranma. Unfortunately, he was too weak(I mean, have you seen his body?).

At this moment, Gosunkugi realized something. Despite everything that he could offer(which wasn't much), Akane had chosen Ranma over him. Ranma. That stupid, pig-tailed jerk. Sure, he may be handsome due to his martial arts and whatnot, but Gosunkugi had money, something Ranma didn't have. Or at least not all the time.

And yet, Akane's heart belongs to Ranma. And his heart belongs to Akane. Anybody could see it.

This put Gosunkugi in such a depressive state, his other senses were numb. He couldn't feel anything but this wave of depression. It was here where he decided to never chase Akane ever again.

_"What was I thinking?"_ Gosunkugi sighed sadly._ "I never had a chance with Akane in the first place."_

Gosunkugi glanced at Ranma and Akane one last time before turning around and walking down the hallway. "Now then. To the principal's I go."

…

Ranma and Akane didn't realize that Gosunkugi had left them. They were having fun recalling the many times' incidents that happened for the pettiest reasons.

Ranma had calmed down enough to focus on Akane's face. A smile graced her face. The smile that Ranma loves. The one he can't live without. That's when he realized now was the time.

Ranma cleared his throat, grabbing Akane's attention. He seemed so serious, Akane got scared after a minute.

"Hey, Akane?" Ranma asked, rubbing his neck while keeping his attention on Akane.

"Yeah Ranma?" Akane's heart started to beat faster with each passing minute. "What's up?"

Ranma froze. "Well, to answer your question," said Ranma, looking out the window and up towards the sky. Akane stopped breathing. She knew whatever Ranma had to, it would change their lives.

Ranma looked back at Akane. "You asked me what's up, right?" Akane nodded. "Well, I don't think you'll like my answer but…." Ranma looked Akane dead in the eye for a dramatic effect, making Akane's heart beat faster and faster. "What does he have to say?"

"... I think the sky's up," Ranma said, pointing out the window towards the sky.

Akane stared at him in shock. That shock turned into disbelief. _"THAT'S what he had to say?!"_

Her disbelief transformed into anger as Ranma started grinning like an idiot.

"BAKA!" Akane screamed. She produced a mallet and proceeded to smash Ranma into the ground more times than necessary.

Their classmates inside Ms. Hinako's room heard the commotion outside. They could hear Akane's screaming and Ranma's cries for help. They were curious as to why Ranma and Akane were fighting, but none dared leave the room. Partly due to what Ms. Hinako might do, but mainly because they were not trying to get injured after the fight occurring outside the room.

…

After a minute or so of dodging Akane's attacks, Ranma grabbed Akane's mallet and threw it out the window. This shocked Akane. She didn't expect Ranma to grab her mallet, although it was to be expected. Ranma had a very high pain tolerance.

After Ranma disarmed Akane, he grabbed her hands(just like he did in the dojo) and said, "I'm sorry, Akane. It was a stupid joke. But I couldn't let a good chance like that to go, now could I?" Ranma's lips formed into a smile. All of Akane's anger just evaporate as she melted at the sight of that smile.

_"Wait a minute,"_ Akane thought as Ranma let go of her hands. _"I can't just forgive him. He was about to say something before he made a dumb joke! Maybe I can use this to my advantage.."_

Akane looked at Ranma seriously, causing him to sweat. "Is there more you are sorry for?" Akane asked. She needed to know some of his secrets. Maybe not all of it, but enough to know he loved.

Ranma gulped. "Well, um, I'm, uh… sorry for ignoring you all last week," Ranma said, fidgeting with his fingers. He realized he couldn't look at Akane without stuttering, so he decided to look at the ground. "It's just that, uh… after the failed wedding, I thought you, er, sorta, I dunno, hated me for what happened?"

Ranma looked up to meet Akane's eyes. He needed her to confirm what he had said. Akane, however, was shocked. Even surprised.

"You thought I hated you?" Akane asked, awe within her voice.

"Uh… yes?" Ranma replied, confused about where this was going. "Does this mean you didn't hate me since then and I stayed quiet for nothing?"

"Pretty much," Akane said, smiling at him. Ranma may not be the best when it comes to feelings, but at least he was honest about them.

"Uh..." Ranma started blushing furiously. Partly because of Akane's smile. Mainly because he was so stupid for guessing that Akane would be mad at him because of the failed wedding. _"I'm such a baka,"_ Ranma thought, mentally sighing. _"If only I opened up earlier, I wouldn't have hurt Akane so badly."_

"So… you still want to hear my reasoning?" Ranma asked, fighting his blush so that Akane would not see it.

"Well, we have nothing else to do," Akane, looking intently at Ranma.

"It's just that, well," Ranma gulped. He found the truth extremely hard to tell. Ranma took a deep breath. _"You can do this,"_ Ranma thought, reassuring himself.

"Helloooo," Akane said, waving her free hand in front of Ranma. "Earth to Ranma."

Ranma snapped back into reality.

"Sorry 'Kane," Ranma said apologetically. "I musta spaced out for a sec. Anyways, after the failed wedding, I, kinda, y'know, left your house in ruins. You get what I mean?"

Akane pondered on this question for a second before slowly nodding.

"Yeah. I felt guilty cuz if it wasn't for Shampoo or Ukyo or Koadchi..." Ranma stopped talking for a minute. He realized he caused a lot of problems for Akane and her family and it was all his fault. Well… maybe not all(hey, Genma needs to own up or he's getting the boot).

"Well, let's just say if it weren't for my enemies, you would still have the dojo. I'm really sorry. I'm just a burden to your family, aren't I?" Ranma looked up to meet Akane's gaze. He needed to know how Akane felt about him, even if the truth hurts.

Akane was shocked. _"Ranma's… sorry? He's actually apologizing? What the hell's going on?"_

"N-no Ranma, you're not a burden," Akane said softly. "Life's never boring with you around. And I have gotten so used to you being in my life, I can't imagine how life would be without you."

Akane started blushing furiously. Ranma soon followed.

"Akane," Ranma said quietly. "You really mean that?"

"Y-yeah," Akane stammered, blushing harder than before. _"Damn, this is so embarrassing. Can this moment end?"_

At this moment, Ranma's love for Akane swelled up to extreme heights. He realized that Akane was the one for him and he was content with that. He could ask for nothing more.

He also realized now was the time to confess his love.

_"Sure, we are at school,"_ Ranma thought. _"But we have nothing else to do and I probably can't get a good chance like now later."_

Ranma cleared his throat, grabbing Akane's attention. The expression on his face looked so frightening to Akane, it drained the blood out of her face._ "Is he going to say he doesn't love me? After everything we went through?"_

"Akane," said Ranma softly. "You're a really great friend. Even though I hurt you from time to time, you are always by my side."

Akane's heart swelled at the compliment. She realized just how much she loved Ranma, despite all his flaws.

"Ranma..." said Akane lovingly. She so wanted to kiss him, to touch him, to feel him.

"And I realized that over this past year, I've developed feelings for you," Ranma said, embarrassed at what he said. _"Can't turn back now."_

Akane started blushing upon hearing this. _"Does he love me?"_

"What I mean to say is that I, well, I, uh, loo-" Ranma was saying when he heard someone screaming from behind him.

"Halt, Ranma Saotome!" yelled a very familiar voice. "I, Tatewaki Kuno, age 18, sometimes called the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, shall not allow you to corrupt the sweet, innocent Akane Tendo!"

With that, Kuno charged Ranma, screaming a battle cry as he did so.

Ranma was extremely pissed off. So was Akane.

"Gimme a break," muttered Ranma. Akane could not have agreed with him more.

With Kuno still trying to attack him, Ranma moved to his left, allowing Akane to boot Kuno into space.

"I shall returnnn-" exclaimed Kuno as he went flying through the air.

Ranma and Akane watched a now airborne Kuno as he disappeared from the horizon.

"Damn Akane," chuckled Ranma. "You must have been really mad to make Kuno fly like that."

Akane growled at this. "So you wanna die today?"

"Sorry, sorry," Ranma said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I didn't mean that."

Ranma looked intently at Akane's face.

"But I do mean everything else I said, Akane," said Ranma huskily.

Akane loved it when Ranma said her name. She wanted nothing more than to be with Ranma. _"It's now or never,"_ she thought. _"I need to know the truth."_

"Ranma..." Akane said, grabbing Ranma's hands. "Do you..."

Ranma looked curiously at Akane's face.

"Yes?" Ranma asked.

"D-do you, um," Akane looked down. She couldn't look at Ranma. She couldn't ask him what she wanted to know.

Ranma could sense that something was wrong with Akane. He grabbed her shoulders to stop her from shaking. "Hey, 'Kane," he whispered in her ear. "What did you want to tell me?"

Someway, somehow, Akane found the courage to ask Ranma her question.

"Do you love me?"

...

**A/N: **Welcome to my poorly written afterward. First off, thanks to all of you guys reading my fic. It may not be the best, but I hope you all will stick with me until the end. I appreciate that y'all take time out of your day to read my fic. It makes me more confident with my writing. Second, just so you know, the characters will be more OOC from now on. After Jusendo, many things changed so it's only fair that the characters change as well. Third, well, I've got nothing else to say. Well, maybe one thing. Y'all remember earlier in the fic when I talked about finding the world's manliest man to train Ranma or something? Yea, name someone from the late '80s to the early '90s and I'll use them to train Ranma. I was thinking of using a young Gordon Ramsey to train Ranma while helping Akane cook, but I dunno. I wanna see what you guys think.

Well, that's it from me. Leave reviews and whatnot. I need criticism and ideas to improve my writing and build on my fic. That's about it. Until next time, adios!


	8. Chapter 8: The Plan

**Disclaimer:** I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

Gosunkugi walked down the hall to Principal Kuno's supposed office.

He knocked on the door.

"Uh, Principal Kuno, sir?" asked a nervous Gosunkugi. "May I come in?"

All Gosunkugi heard was the sound of a ukulele playing. He decided that this meant that he could enter the principal's office.

When Gosunkugi entered, he saw Principal Kuno facing the window, observing the students outside for the gym. He was playing his iconic ukulele, presumably to some Hawaiian songs.

"Sir, you wanted to see me?"

Principal Kuno stopped playing the ukulele.

A deathly silence consumed the room.

And then…

"I be da expecting you, Hikaru."

The demeanor of the principal was so serious that he actually scared Gosunkugi. This did not cope well with his current state of nervousness.

"Um… why were you expecting me, sir?" Gosunkugi asked apprehensively, mentally freaking out on how the principal was acting.

"Cuz I be da telling Miss Hinako 'bout dem dollies you be da havin', keiki."

Gosunkugi paled a bit.

"Sir, you… you told Miss Hinako about my voodoo dolls?"

"Yea, keiki."

"Why?" asked a fuming Gosunkugi. "You took me away from my dear…"

Gosunkugi was about to say Akane, but then he remembered the scene he had saw before coming down the principal's office.

Gosunkugi cleared his throat.

"... interesting class. We were in the middle of a very interesting lesson!"

The principal raised his eyebrows.

"Oh really, keiki? More interesting dan me?"

Another silence consumed the office.

Gosunkugi fostered an expression of pure horror as he thought the principal just asked him if he was interested in men, specifically the principal himself.

The principal realized the double meaning to bis question and sat there, face faulted.

"Uh… keiki? I did not be the meaning that. You be da understanding that, yea?"

Gosunkugi nodded at what the principal just said, still recovering from what the principal just said.

"Ok, since you be A ok, imma tell you da big plan I need you for."

This statement caught Gosunkugi's attention as his anxiety once again consumed him.

"W-what plan, sir?"

"Da name of this plan is… " the principal said as grey clouds filled the sky outside. "Da Kuno Invasion."

Just then, the lighting strike could be seen outside as the principal said those words. Immediately after, the clouds disappeared.

Gosunkugi was frightened by what just happened(the coward).

"T-the Kuno In-invasion?" Gosunkugi asked, his body shaking and his voice cracking.

Again, grey clouds covered the sky and a lighting strike could be seen before disappearing with a blink of an eye.

"Yea," the principal said, an evil grin on his face."Da Kuno Invasion."

Again, well, hopefully, you get the idea.

Gosunkugi stood there, his whole body shaking in fear, questioning his life choices that brought him to this moment while the principal bellowed an evil laugh.

…

"Do you love me?"

Ranma stood, frozen. He didn't know how to react.

"_I know I love her," _Ranma thought. "_But is now the right time? What if some else hears my confession? They'll blackmail me! My reputation would be utterly destroyed."_

One part of Ranma's head was disgusted by his thought process.

"_Are you fucking insane?" _it asked. "_You're worried about your fucking reputation, your pride over your woman? The one you love and the one who loves you back? You're a fucking disgrace."_

Another part of Ranma's head agreed with his thought process.

"_Don't listen to your other side," _the other side said. "_Of course, it is indeed quite disgraceful to think about your reputation over your fiancee, but it is understandable. You do not want to be seen as weak. Also, if you want to confess your love for her, you probably would want to that somewhere special. Although there aren't many special places you have been, but whatever."_

Ranma, lost in his thoughts, did not realize that Akane was struggling to breathe(as they were in an embrace; refer to chapter 7 for more details).

Akane tried to escape by attempting to push himself away from his body(although she had to admit that it felt nice to be in Ranma's arms and felt like she would regret her decision to escape his embrace, but she needed to breathe or moments like these will never occur).

"Ranma… " Akane said in a somewhat sultry voice. "I… can't breathe..."

Ranma immediately released Akane, blushing at the fact that he was so caught up in his mind that he totally forgot about Akane.

"Sorry 'Kane," Ranma said, a slight tint of red on his cheeks. "I wasn't really paying attention to ya. I was thinking 'bout what you were asking me earlier. Ya know, when you asked me if I loved you?"

Akane stood there, expecting an answer from Ranma.

But Ranma remained silent, still in a mental battle with himself.

With each passing moment, Akane started to feel more and more depressed, expecting Ranma to say that he didn't love her. She managed to hide her emotions very well when she decided to break the silence.

"Ahem," Akane said, grabbing Ranma's attention. "What's your response?"

Ranma stood there, confused for a moment or so before he understood Akane's question.

"_Of course, you stupid baka. What else could Akane be asking you?"_ Ranma thought, berating himself. Despite the situation, he chuckled to himself.

Unfortunately, Akane took the chuckle the wrong way.

"Oh, so you find it funny to toy with the emotions of women, eh?" asked Akane, who was, to a degree, reasonably angry.

"Huh?" the king of bakas asked, still lost in his thoughts.

Akane's anger escalated to new heights.

"And now you ignore me? For that, you must pay!" Akane all but screamed, conjuring a mallet out of nowhere.

Akane started to hit a confused Ranma in some, for lack of better words, painful areas, specifically his groin and loins.

"What'd I do this time?" asked Ranma, trying to dodge most of Akane's attacks.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Akane screamed once more. "I asked you if you loved me and then you went and laughed at me! As if my feelings, my emotions don't matter!"

"What?"

Ranma's mind raced through the events that happened before the current situation when he remembered his chuckling that came after Akane asked her question.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

"Oh," was all Ranma could say. "_Of course Akane would jump to a conclusion like that. Typical."_

Ranma, for the second time that morning, disarmed Akane of her mallet and threw it out the window. Then he grabbed Akane's hands and clasped them within his hands(obviously).

"Sorry 'Kane," Ranma apologized. "When I was chuckling earlier, I wasn't chuckling at you."

Akane gasped. For the second time that morning, Ranma had apologized. His second apology snapped Akane out of her anger.

"Uh, Ranma?" Akane asked, worry clouding her face. "Are you ok? Like, are you feeling well?"

"Huh?"

"It's just..." Akane let her sentence trail off as she started blushing. "_This is so stupid. Why am I worrying over this?"_

"Go on... " Ranma said, curious as to why Akane thought he was sick.

"Well," Akane said, rolling her eyes(not in an arrogant way). "It's just that you rarely apologize."

Akane said that statement so matter of factly that Ranma almost felt insulted. Almost.

"Akane, you wound me," said Ranma, clutching his shirt as if his heart had taken a fatal injury.

"Oh, shut up, you baka," said Akane fondly, rolling her eyes as if annoyed.

Ranma noticed this and gave Akane one of his smoldering smiles. The sight of that smile melted her heart. It got her heart racing and started to feel a tad warm all over her body.

"Likewise tomboy," Ranma said with the same amount of fondness as Akane, his smile still gracing his face.

The tension that had formed between the two teenagers had finally dissipated and for the first time in a while, the two(technical) lovers were to be in the presence of the other.

"So," Akane said, hoping to get some answers from Ranma. She had been enjoying Ranma's company, but she needed some answers to bring closure to her curiosity, particularly her relationship with Ranma. "What were you chuckling about a moment ago?"

"Oh, that," Ranma said. He let out a sad sigh.

"Before I answer your question, I have one for you," Ranma said, looking at Akane dead in the eye, causing her to cringe at the sight. "Did you really think I was laughing at you? Do you really think that low of me? Do you really think I have no compassion for you?"

Akane let out a nervous laugh. She wasn't expecting to be hit this hard by Ranma and, to be fair, she should have anticipated this. Of course, Ranma would feel hurt upon hearing Akane's careless words.

"Um, I'm sorry," said Akane in a little girl voice, embarrassment consuming her and berating herself mentally for letting her anger control her actions.

Ranma sighed again.

"If anyone should be sorry, it should be me," he said in a quiet voice. "I hurt you for a whole week and I have no excuse for that. Of course, you would get angry when you saw me laughing after you asked a question. This situation is no one's fault but my own."

Ranma crossed his arms and looked out the window as Akane stared at him in awe.

"As to answer your question, I was chuckling at my own stupidity for not understanding your question that you had asked me not too long ago."

"Oh," was all Akane could say as the realization hit her all at once. Ranma was not a person to be very attentive to details, no matter how big or small they are. Truth be told, Ranma wasn't exactly the sharpest crayon in the box(no offense to Ranma).

"So, would you enlighten me and answer my original question?" asked Akane, happy to move away from the stressful situation before. "You know, the one about if you loved me?"

"Yeah about that..." Ranma let out a nervous laugh. "_Oh boy. I don't think I can do this. This may single-handedly be the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And I just fought that bastard Saffron last week."_

"I… can't answer that," Ranma said, fidgeting with his fingers. "Sorry 'Kane."

"Why not?" Akane asked, trying to keep her tone even but failing as she started to feel her heartbreaking. "_Does Ranma not love me? After everything we've been through?"_

Ranma noticed quavering and silently cursed himself.

"No, Akane, I don't mean that I don't love you," Ranma said quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "It's just that I can't answer you at this very moment."

"Why?"

"Well, I feel like if I'm gonna give you a confession of any kind, it should be somewhere special to us," Ranma replied quietly.

Akane gasped. Who knew that Ranma would be thoughtful? Or rather, who knew that he was a romantic?

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with Ranma?" Akane asked in jest, mirth dancing in her eyes.

Ranma rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

"Oh, stop, you."

"Seriously though, you really have changed for the better," said Akane, putting her hands behind her back. "I like this version of Ranma versus the other versions. NOT that the other versions were bad."

Akane gave Ranma a small smile that melted him and prevented him from arguing with Akane.

"I guess you really do care about my feelings if you want to confess to me somewhere special."

"Yeah, that's one of the reasons," Ranma said, walking over to their classroom door. "This is the other reason."

Akane was confused as to why the classroom door was a reason for Ranma's decision to confess somewhere special. That is, she was confused until she saw their classmates tumble out the door, sheepish smiles plastered on their faces.

"You guys were… eavesdropping on us?" Akane asked, trying to contain her anger as best as she could.

Their classmates all recognized the tone in Akane's voice and all of them had the same thought: "_We're screwed!"_

Luckily, at that moment, Ms. Hinako woke up from her slumber.

"Hey, you guys! Get back in here!" she exclaimed in a cute sleepy yet angry tone.

All the students obliged, glad to escape the clusterfuck they got themselves into.

Akane was still angry about the whole situation as she started to walk into the class with her bucket of water. She didn't see Ranma coming from behind her as he grabbed her free hand.

Akane gasped in surprise.

"Hey, Akane, calm down," Ranma said soothingly. "I know you're angry at our classmates for eavesdropping, but you really can't blame them. I mean, this is Hinako we're talking about. She falls asleep every ten minutes or gets distracted by something every other minute."

Akane giggled at this. It was true that at times, Ms. Hinako's class could get awfully boring due to her child-like attitude. While Akane resented her classmates to a degree, most of her anger had vanished, thanks to Ranma.

Ranma smiled at Akane while she giggled. At that moment, he realized the perfect spot for a confession. Before Akane could enter the classroom, he leaned into her ear and whispered, "Meet me at the park after school. You know, the place where we had our first date."

Akane turned to Ranma and gave him one of her dazzling smiles.

"I'll see you there after school."

Ranma gulped. It was all he could do to prevent his desire for Akane to consume him.

"_Why didn't I do this earlier?"_

…

"So, what exactly is the Kuno Invasion?"

Thankfully, when Gosunkugi asked this question, there were no grey clouds in the sky. Or any lighting strikes for that matter.

"Wait, keiki. We need my Lil Tachi before I explain dis plan."

Just then, an injured Kuno with battered clothes entered the office.

"You called for Tatewaki Kuno, age 18, known as the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High?"

"Lil Tachi! You made it!" exclaimed the poor excuse for a principal. "But what happened to your face?"

"First of all, my name is Kuno, Tatewaki Kuno," Kuno said, clenching his hand in anger. "And second, you have no right to call me Tachi. Granted, you are the man who sired me and my sister, Kodachi, but that is all you are. Nothing more, nothing less."

Kuno raised his bokken at the principal as to prove his point, causing him to cower in fear.

Gosunkugi looked on this interaction with some interest. "_What a dysfunctional family!"_

Kuno sighed. "Now that we have made some things clear, what is the meaning of this? Why was I called up to this horrid office this wonderful morning?"

"Ah, yes," the principal said, recovering from his state of fear. "We need to talk about da Kuno Invasion."

"The Kuno Invasion? What is this nonsense you speak of?" Kuno questioned his "father."

"You know dat keiki Ranma Saotome and dat wahine Akane Tendo?"

Gosunkugi and Kuno nodded to confirm that they knew Ranma and Akane.

"Very good. Ok then, we needs to get rid of this keiki and wahine. Forever."

Gosunkugi gasped.

"Are we… going to kill them, sir?"

"What?" asked a horrified principal Kuno. "I may be da evil kahuna, but not dat evil. No, we finna send them far away from here so dat they can't ruin my beautiful plans anymore."

"Halt, you vile creature! If you lay as much as one finger on the sweet, delicate Akane Tendo, then you will have an answer to me, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High!"

"Eh..." said the principal nervously. "Fine, we won't attack da Tendo girl. But we must get rid of dat keiki Ranma Saotome."

Kuno nodded his head in approval. "Agreed. I need to free the innocent Akane Tendo from the clutches of the vile Ranma Saotome."

All Gosunkugi could do was nod his head and gulp, wondering how he got himself in this situation.

...

**A/N: **First off, I would like to apologize for the long wait. I was aiming to update last week, but you know what they said about good intentions. To make up for that, I wrote a bit more than I usually do. This time around, I tried writing in a different way by, essentially, trying to cut of comedic scenarios and, well, I don't think that worked out too well. So if my writing seemed poor or my story was hard to follow, I would like to apologize for that. I promise to write better in the future. On a different note, I would like to thank all the readers who've made it this far. I know that I'm not the best writer and, truth be told, this is the first time I'm attempting to write a story. So for those who made it this far, I really appreciate it. Seriously, it means a lot to me. Thanks for giving me a chance. And on an unrelated note, I will try to release a Christmas one-shot with our favorite couple tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then maybe on Boxing Day(the 26th). So, my dear readers, be on a lookout for that. Cheer!


	9. Chapter 9: The Confessions(of sorts)

**A/N: **First of all, I would like to apologize for my month-long hiatus. A more in-depth apology will be given at the end.

**Disclaimer:** I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

...

Ryoga(or rather, P-Chan) was running all over Nerima. Lost as per usual.

The residents of Nerima were a bit concerned about the squealing black pig.

"_I need to get home…. I need to get home!" _thought a frantic P-Chan as he ran around town, ignoring the looks he was getting. "_Where is home?"_

Somehow, someway, he managed to find the Tendo residence.

"_Ah, Akane's home. A safe haven. Somewhere I can rest," _thought a relieved P-Chan… until he remembered something.

"_Wait, I can't stay here! If I do, then I'll lose all my love for Akari. And Akari will surely be disappointed!"_

While P-Chan was having a midlife crisis, Kasumi was walking home after going out to shop for some groceries.

"_What a life I have," _ Kasumi thought. "_I love my family and all, and I don't mind doing housework and whatnot, but I wish I could just… live my own life."_

Kasumi let out a surprised gasp. "_Oh my! When did I become so selfish? I need to be there to take care of everyone! But, at the same time…. I want to do what I want. Does that make me a bad person?"_

A troubled Kasumi encountered a panic-stricken P-Chan.

Kasumi stopped and looked at P-Chan, who was oblivious to her appearance.

"_Is that Akane's pet?"_ Kasumi thought, crouching to get a better look. "_It is!"_

"P-Chan!" Kasumi exclaimed, grabbing P-Chan's attention and scaring him half to death. "Where have you been all this time?" Kasumi examined P-Chan. "Oh my, you are so very dirty!" She grabbed P-Chan and hugged him very close to her chest as she grabbed her groceries. "Oh well. I'll just have to clean you! Besides, it's not like I have anything else to do!"

…

_Flashback_

"_Kasumi!"_

_Kasumi dashed down the hallway towards the front doors. "Yes, Father?"_

_Soun stood in front of doors with a huge backpack on his shoulders while an impatient panda stood behind him holding a sign that read "C'mon, let's go!"_

"_I and Saotome over here will be away for a few days on a training trip in the mountains. Hopefully, we'll be back by this Saturday," said Soun._

"_Alright Father. We will see you this Saturday. Safe travels!"_

_Soun turned to cursed form Genma. "Come on, Saotome. Let's go!"_

_The panda held up a sign that read "About time!"_

_As soon as the duo had disappeared past the front gates, Kasumi closed the doors and headed towards the kitchen._

"_I think I'll make some rice balls and tea for a light lunch. And maybe I can pick up some takoyaki and the way home from my shopping… " Kasumi thought to herself as she entered the living room._

_In the room sat Nodoka as she sipped on some tea while flipping through a women's lifestyle magazine._

_As Kasumi made her way to the kitchen, Nodoka cleared her throat._

"_Kasumi-chan, dear, would you mind talking to me for a moment?"_

_Kasumi turned to Nodoka and gave her a small, gentle smile. "Not at all, Mrs. Sao-"_

"_How many times do I have to tell you to call me Nodoka! At this point, we're practically family!"_

"_Alright then, Nodoka-chan," Kasumi giggled. "Now, what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"_

"_Yes, let's get straight down to business," Nodoka said, sipping her tea. "Where are my husband and your father going?"_

"_Father said that he and Mr. Saotome are going on a training trip in the mountains," replied Kasumi in her usual calm manner._

"_Training, huh?" Nodoka asked, rolling her eyes. "More like my husband wants to escape my wrath after what happened this morning. And somehow he convinced your father to join him." Nodoka let out a deep sigh. "They're probably going to the next town over and drink until they start blowing chunks."_

_Kasumi nodded her head in agreement. "I believe this to be true as well, Nodoka-chan."_

_Nodoka spits out her tea and raised her hands on the iconic surprised gesture that we have all come to know and love._

"_D-did I just hear Kasumi agree with something insulting? Something insulting I said towards her own father?" Nodoka asked, pinching herself to make sure that the current moment wasn't a dream. "Has all of hell frozen over already?"_

_Kasumi giggled at Nodoka's reaction. "Oh, stop it, Nodoka-chan. It's nothing that serious. I just agreed with your statement."_

"_Still," said Nodoka, composing herself while cleaning up the tea she split with a conveniently placed rag. "It is quite unusual for you to agree with any type of insult."_

"_Well, I supposed I could conceive that," said Kasumi, taking a sip of her tea._

_The two women sat at the table drinking tea and enjoying the silence._

"_So, Kasumi-chan," said Nodoka, breaking the comfortable silence that had consumed the two women. "What do you want to do in life?"_

"_As a job?" asked Kasumi._

"_Anything really," replied Nodoka, her eyes on Kasumi. "It could be a job you might want to do. Or any dreams you have."_

"_Well, this might sound embarrassing. And a tad irrational," said a shy Kasumi. "But I always wanted to be a volleyball player."_

_For the second time that morning, Nodoka spit out her tea. _

"_You want to become a volleyball player?" asked Nodoka after she composed herself._

"'_Wanted,'" corrected Kasumi, a hint of pink visible on her cheeks. "As in past tense." Kasumi let out a deep sigh. "When I was in high school, I was in the volleyball club. I didn't want to join, but I was one of the tallest girls at school. The volleyball club members practically begged me to join. I finally joined after one of my friends convinced me. After the first day of practice, I just… fell in love with the sport. I made so many friends through volleyball. And all our tournament matches were…. so intense and exciting. It allowed me to escape the dull life that I led before. Instead of taking care of my family all the time, I could escape to volleyball from time to time just to enjoy myself." Kasumi let out a gasp. "Does that make me a bad person?"_

_Nodoka shook her head and offered Kasumi a soft smile. "Not at all, Kasumi-chan. It is only natural for us humans to do certain pleasurable activities so that we can calm down and enjoy ourselves. Otherwise, we would suffer from burnout syndromes all the time."_

"_I suppose you are correct," said Kasumi as she let out a relieved sigh. _

"_Would you care to continue sharing your dreams with me?" asked Nodoka. "They are quite interesting."_

"_Of course," Kasumi replied, recalling the story she was telling moments ago. "As I said before, I used volleyball to escape my life and enjoy myself. Playing volleyball was truly when I felt the happiest. My happiness rose to new heights when I was made captain in my third year. I had a great bunch of teammates. Some were new and the rest were familiar faces. Practicing with these girls and being their captain at the same time… it put me into a state of bliss." Tears started welling up at Kasumi's eyes and although she tried her best to hide them, Nodoka noticed the tears. "My…. my proudest moment as captain was when… when I led the Furinkan Girl's Volleyball team to victory at the Spring National Tournament. Standing in the enormous, elegant gym in Tokyo… with all my teammates… it was truly a joyous occasion." Kasumi tried to hold back her tears, but it was all in vain. Tears were streaming down her cheeks at an alarming rate. "I-it was after we had won… after we were presented with the trophy… on the bus ride home… i-it was then when I realized that I won't be able to do this again. I would never be able to play volleyball again. It was all over for my volleyball career." At this point, Kasumi had begun wailing. Nodoka enveloped Kasumi in a fierce hug, shushing her and attempting to calm her down. "M-m-my f-family needed me more t-than volleyball. T-than my joy. And so for the first time since my mother's death…. I cried. I cried that whole bus ride to the high school. This truth…. this painful truth…. I just couldn't accept it. But eventually, I did. I realized there was no point pouting about the inevitable. I should enjoy every moment of the thing I enjoy doing most to the fullest. And I did. So when I graduated - when I left volleyball for good - I left with a smile. I had done all I could- and goddammit, I did it to the best of my ability - and now I would be able to savour all my accomplishments without any regrets." _

_Nodoka sat there silently, comforting Kasumi, who was still crying softly._

_After a few moments, Kasumi composed herself. She used her blouse to wipe her face in case there were any stray tears._

"_Feeling better?" asked Nodoka, offered Kasumi another soft smile._

"_Yes, thank you," replied Kasumi. "And sorry for all the trouble I caused."_

"_Kasumi," said Nodoka softly. "It is not wrong for you to express your emotions and feelings. It just shows us that you are human. Just hold onto your dreams and keep moving forward. And never hold back your tears. If you're feeling sad then you have every right to cry your eyes out. It's ok to cry and a good cry is always the first step towards recovery."_

"_Thank you, Nodoka-chan," said Kasumi, who was starting to feel better. Then she started giggling, starling Nodoka. "We look silly in this position, don't we?"_

"_Perhaps… " murmured Nodoka, a small smile appearing on her face._

"_Well, since I already told you about my volleyball dream, I guess it would be a good idea to tell you about my other dream. My other dream to become a sports physician."_

"_Do tell, Kasumi-chan," said Nodoka, taking a sip of tea._

"_Well, sometime after our Spring National Tournament win, I looked into other ways to stay connected to volleyball. One of those ways turned out to be a sports physician. While I might not be a player out on the court, I would be deeply connected with the players and the sport itself. So I wanted to give it a shot. You might have noticed that I have been borrowing books from Dr. Tofu. Well, now you know the reason." Kasumi let out a sigh. "This might sound random, but I wish that Dr. Tofu was a bit more… what's the word?... normal. I have so many questions about being a doctor as well as things I learned from the books. And for him to act… weird around me… it's somewhat insulting. Especially when I have feelings for him."_

_Nodoka cleared her throat. "Yes, I can see how your situation is a bit complicated." Nodoka began to stand up. "Well, it was nice talking about your dreams and I truly enjoyed this chat. However, I have plans for this afternoon. I am to meet at a spa with some of my friends and spend the day together." Nodoka turned to face Kasumi. "Would you care to join me?"_

_Kasumi raised her hands in a resigned sort of way. "No, Nodoka-chan. You go and enjoy yourself. There is much for me to do. Plus, you could use a little break."_

"_Well, if you say so… " Nodoka said as she was heading towards the front doors. "I guess I'll see you later."_

"_Bye, Nodoka-chan," said Kasumi, waving her hand towards Nodoka._

"_Bye, Kasumi-chan. And I'll remember to buy some of that mochi you are fond of."_

_Kasumi flashed a bright smile towards Nodoka. "That would be nice."_

….

"My, P-Chan. You are very dirty."

At this point, Kasumi had made her way to the kitchen where she had set down her groceries. If P-Chan wasn't panicking at this moment, then he certainly was panicking when Kasumi turned on the faucet.

"Here, let me give you a bath," Kasumi said kindly. P-Chan prayed to the kami-sama as hard as he could, praying that the water was cold.

It was.

P-Chan had never felt so relieved in his life. However, the water was a tad too cold and it didn't take very long before P-Chan started shivering.

Unfortunately, Kasumi noticed this shivering.

"Oh, P-Chan. I'm so sorry. The water must have been too cold for you and now you're shivering. Here, let me switch over to some hot water."

Try as he might, P-Chan could not escape Kasumi's grip as she turned off the cold water and turned on the hot water.

"_What kami did I anger?"_ thought P-Chan as he was about to be put in the sink.

Finally, P-Chan was able to escape Kasumi's grip and jumped… straight into the sink.

P-Chan's transformation surprised Kasumi as a cute little piggy suddenly turned into a well built, well-toned young man. A man that Kasumi recognized immediately due to his yellow bandana.

"R-ryoga?" asked a shocked Kasumi full of disbelief. "You're P-Chan?"

"I can explain," replied Ryoga, raising his hands in surrender.

Kasumi couldn't make her lips move so she reacted the only other way she could.

She slapped him so hard that Ryoga fell into a state of unconsciousness.

Silence consumed the kitchen as an angry Kasumi looked down upon an unconscious Ryoga.

It was only then when Kasumi made a startling revelation.

"Oh my, the kitchen is in such a messy state! I must clean it up before the others arrive!"

And that is what Kasumi did for the rest of the afternoon.

…

Akane rushed out of the school doors the minute the school bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. By chance, it was a half-day at school, so it was mid-afternoon when Akane finally left school.

"_How did Ranma leave school so quickly?" _thought Akane recalling how moments ago Ranma practically jumped out of his seat and out the doors in a flash of a second.

"_Whatever, it doesn't matter. Maybe Ranma left that quickly to get me something special." _Akane's lips quirked up into a smile.

After a few minutes(and what seemed like an entire eternity to Akane), she reached the park.

Akane took a few moments to catch her breath. She took this time to observe the park and its surroundings.

"_Hmm… I don't see Ranma anywhere… did he ditch me?"_ Akane frowned the thought and shook her head. "_No, I don't think he would do that. Maybe he's late getting me a present?"_

Akane began strolling through the park in search of Ranma when she came across a hedge maze located in the center of the park.

"_Come to think of it, this was the place where Ranma gave me those flowers a couple of months ago," _Akane thought as she entered the maze.

And who was there to greet her? Ranma.

"Hey 'Kane," greeted Ranma, his usual, self-confident smirk plastered on his face. "You made it."

"Yeah, I did," said Akane, matching a smirk similar to the one on Ranma.

"Here, I got you something," Ranma said as he produced a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh my," Akane said softly.

"I didn't know what to get you," said Ranma apologetically. "So I decided to play it safe and bring ya some flowers. And then I realized I didn't know what type of flowers ya liked. So I asked the florist to make a bouquet with all types of flowers and, well, this was what I got." Ranma noticed the unshed tears in Akane's eyes. "Um… if you don't like the flowers, I could get you something else."

"No," Akane said, wiping her tears. "These flowers are perfect. They are all beautiful."

"That may be true," Ranma said, a soft smile gracing his face, "but none of these flowers are as beautiful as you."

Akane began blushing furiously upon hearing Ranma's compliment. "T-thank you, Ranma. That was sweet of you to say." Akane began observing Ranma. "Are you feeling ok, Ranma? You have never acted like this, bringing me gifts and complimenting me."

Ranma chuckled softly to himself. "Naw, 'Kane. I'm feeling just fine." He suddenly got serious. "And I think you know why I asked you to meet me here today."

Ranma's tone was so grave that Akane forgot how to breathe for a minute.

"You asked me earlier today if I loved you, yes?" Akane nodded in confirmation. "Well, the answer to that is yes. I DO love you."

A distinct silence consumed the two teens. Ranma was silent because he was embarrassed(apparently a man is not supposed to confess his love for a woman). Akane was silent because, while she had a feeling that Ranma loved her, she didn't expect him to bluntly say it. In a public place. Where many people could hear.

"To tell the truth, I have loved you since the first time I met you. I just felt like…. I dunno, we had a connection or something," Ranma continued while fidgeting and playing with his fingers. "And so I began developing feelings for you. But I would never admit them to you. The main reason why was because of my Pops bullshit training, telling me guys can't be emotional or whatever. The other reason was that I was afraid you would reject me. I mean, who would love a sex-changing freak like me?"

Before Ranma realized what was happening, Akane wrapped him in a hug.

"You're not a sex-changing freak," said Akane quietly. "It's not your fault that you got cursed. Without this curse, you wouldn't be who you are now."

"Akane," Ranma whispered in a breathless rush.

"And if others can't love you because for this reason, then, who the fuck cares? All that matters is that, well, I love you."

Again, a distinct silence consumed the two teens; however, this silence was different compared to the previous silence as the two teens were a bit more relaxed. After all, they had confessed their feelings to each other, taking a huge weight off of their chests.

"Oh Akane," Ranma whispered once more. He could not get enough of Akane's embrace… or her scent.

And Akane, she couldn't get enough of Ranma's touch. She felt… safe. Like she could take anything head-on, no matter how dire the situation might be. The last time she felt like this was when she was hugged by her mother.

"Akane, I really love you," Ranma said, still in an embrace with her. "And I realized those feelings when I thought you had died. But then I hurt you. Could you ever forgive me?"

"Yes," replied Akane. "I love you too much to say no."

"Great!" exclaimed Ranma breaking free from the embrace(much to the dismay of Akane). "Now then, do you wanna go out?"

Akane gave Ranma a blank expression. "I don't seem to understand your question, Ranma," said a confused Akane.

"What I mean to say is, well." Ranma took a deep breath to slow down his racing heart. Then he looked at Akane directly in the eye. "Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

"Huh?" asked an even more confused Akane.

"I mean, we were forced into an engagement we didn't want to be in. And while we have come to love each other, the engagement wasn't a choice we made with our free will. So us going out as a couple will be a choice we make on OUR own," rambled Ranma. "Does that make sense?"

Realization hit Akane. If they made the decision to go out with each other(a decision they were going to make on their own without any outside influences), then their future would certainly be sealed. Their future together.

"Yes, Ranma," asked said, a beautiful smile gracing her face. "I'll go out with you."

"All right!" Ranma exclaimed as he pulled Akane into a deep, passionate kiss.

The moment was so intimate, so private that it would have been inappropriate for anyone else to witness such an event.

Unfortunately, there were some people who witnessed this moment.

And they were not happy at what they were seeing.

...

**A/N: **As mentioned in the beginning, I would like to apologize deeply for my month-long hiatus. The only explanation is that school sort of distracted me as well as other things I have been doing. And anime. I can't ignore the fact of how much anime sidetracked me this year(and it's only been 2 months!). And I guess manga as well. But no matter. I promise to be a bit more proactive from now on. Expect more regular updates, probably at the beginning and/or end of every month.

Again, I am sorry for going on a month-long hiatus without any warning. Please accept my apologies. And to all of you readers who stuck with me until now, you guys rock. I went away for more than a month and yet you guys are willing to read my story. It means a lot to me. So thank you.

Now with that aside, how did everyone like this chapter? I know that giving Kasumi that volleyball background is kinda random, but I recently finished watching all three seasons of Haikyuu!(plus the ovas and movies) and am now watching the fourth season and it got me thinking _Kasumi's pretty tall, isn't she?_ And so I decided to give her that backstory. Plus, it allows me to make a transition into why she wants to become a doctor.

And Ryoga. Boy was that unexpected. I didn't plan to reveal Ryoga's curse originally, but I was in bed one night and I thought my chapter was a bit too... dull. So I wanted to add some drama and _voila. _What do you guys think I should do with Ryoga now?

Finally... Ranma confessed to Akane. I wanted to save Ranma's confession for Akane for a later chapter, but I thought that I was going to make a return to this story, then I should return in style. And so I had Ranma and Akane confess their love for each other in a simple yet meaningful scene. This is for all of you RxA shippers.

Now for my final question. This might seem random, but... what should Nabiki's backstory be? I gave Kasumi her volleyball backstory. Should I give Nabiki a backstory as well? If yes, then what should that backstory be about?

Well, that's about it. Thank you to everyone who has read my story up until this point. It would be really great if you guys checked out my other stories(The Present and The Life and Times of Kenma Saotome) and reviewed them. The former is a Christmas one-shot story while the latter is a collaboration story with another author whose link is in my bio(check it out!). If you would check out these stories, it would mean the world to me. And, of course, leave your suggestions in the reviews for this story. I really appreciate it. And one more thing before I end this endless author's note: I'm back. Cheers!


	10. Chapter 10: Ryoga's Explanation

**A/N: **Wow, it's been a long time since I lost posted. When was that? Back in February? And now it's been almost 7-8 months. That's crazy. I don't have a really good excuse, but I'll do my best to explain my situation at the end. For now, read my story and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Cheers!

**Disclaimer:** I should have said something earlier but... I don't own Ranma... or any of the characters for that matter. Yea, I know. An intellectual like me couldn't see the genius of this idea. Takahashi beat me to it. Oh well. For my story, I will be using the characters. Don't worry, I'll return them when I'm done. So just sit back and relax and get on with the show.

**Chapter 10: Ryoga's Explanation**

_"Hey, Ryoga!"_

_Ryoga stopped walking upon hearing this. _

_"This voice sounds familiar," he thought. "I wonder who it is… "_

_Ryoga slowly turned his head around to see Akane right behind him._

_He was surprised. "Akane… called out to me? What's going on?"_

_Ryoga quickly turned the rest of his body around. "Oh, Akane! Um… how are you?"_

_"I'm doing well, I guess," Akane replied. "And you?"_

_"I'm fine. Just lost as usual," answered Ryoga, letting out a nervous laugh._

_Akane giggled at what Ryoga said. "You're silly Ryoga. It's kinda cute."_

_Ryoga started to blush. "Y-you mean it?"_

_"Yeah." Now it was Akane's turn to blush. She put her hands behind her back and stared down at the ground to avoid eye contact._

_A companionable silence consumed the two teens._

_"Hey, I've got something to say," spoke out Akane, breaking the silence._

_Ryoga's ears perked up in anticipation. "I wonder what Akane has to say to me."_

_"But I need you to promise me one thing," said Akane._

_"What is it?" questioned Ryoga._

_"I need you to promise me that… no matter what I say, you won't hate me," replied Akane, suddenly shy._

_Ryoga could see that Akane was hesitant and somewhat distressed over what she had to say. So he did something that even surprised himself._

_He grabbed her hands._

_"Why did I grab her hands?" Ryoga thought to himself._

_Akane looked at Ryoga in surprise. Just for a moment, her hesitation disappeared._

_And a moment was all Ryoga needed._

_"Alright, here goes," thought Ryoga, noticing that Akane wasn't distressed like she was earlier._

_"Akane, I promise you this," Ryoga started. "I promise you that I won't hate you, no matter what you say."_

_Akane's surprise turned into hope. _

_"You really mean it?"_

_"Yes, Akane, I mean it." Ryoga managed to say. "She's so beautiful!" he thought._

_"Ok then. Here goes," said Akane boldly, looking Ryoga straight in the eye with confidence. "I love you Ryoga."_

_Ryoga looked at Akane with disbelieving eyes. He was stunned!_

_"D-did she really say that? Did I hear her correctly?"_

_"C-could you run that by me one more time?" asked a still shocked Ryoga._

_"Y-yeah, um," Akane started, suddenly shy. "I kinda, sorta love you."_

_At that moment, upon hearing Akane's confirmation, Ryoga's mind shut down._

_And then, it rebooted._

_"Oh my god! She actually said it! She said the words that I've been trying to say for a long time! I'm so happy!"_

_Ryoga flashed Akane a hopelessly pathetic smile. It was his way of showing how overjoyed he was. _

_Unfortunately, Akane mistook Ryoga's happiness for panic; panic that he doesn't love Akane._

_"You don't love me, do you?" asked Akane in a sad tone._

_"Huh?" reacted Ryoga, momentarily brought out of his happy state. _

_"You despise me, don't you?" she continued, sounding more depressed the more she talked. "I mean, who could love an uncute, unsexy girl like me? Ranma says it all the time. And, well, I guess he's right."_

_"Why would you think that?" questioned Ryoga._

_"Well, you looked like you were panicking," started Akane. "And I thought that you were panicking because you don't love me."_

_"I wasn't panicking. I have too many feelings to not love you."_

_"Really? You mean it?" asked Akane in a small voice._

_"Yes," responded Ryoga in the most confident voice he could manage. "I love you with all my heart."_

_Another silence consumed the two, this silence containing happy yet embarrassing thoughts and feelings._

_"Then kiss me," said Akane shyly, breaking the silence._

_"Huh?" Ryoga face faulted. "Could you run that by me again?"_

_"Kiss me," said Akane, more confident this time._

_"Uh… sure?"_

_"And make sure to kiss me hard."_

_Ryoga just blushed to hear this._

_"Y-you got it," he managed to say._

_Satisfied, Akane puckered her lips and closed her eyes._

_Ryoga looked at Akane gulped. Her face was so beautiful and radiant, just like a goddess. Her lips looked very soft yet firm, and they had a pinkish color. _

_Her blue hair was ruffling due to the wind and it seemed as if her feet were barely touching the ground. Ryoga was right; she was definitely a goddess._

_All in all, Akane loved very cute and was making Ryoga's heartbeat very quickly. And the moment couldn't be more perfect than this for the kiss that was about to happen._

_Ryoga leaned in for the kiss, his heart thumping very loudly._

_"It's alright, old boy. You can do this," he thought to himself. "It's all or nothing."_

_Ryoga put his hands on Akane's face and brought her to his lips._

_This feeling, where Ryoga was kissing his crush, was one he could not describe. It was unbelievable! Perfect, even though it was nothing special. It made Ryoga feel as if he was floating._

_"If this is a dream, then please, don't wake me up!" Ryoga exclaimed once he released himself from the kiss._

_"It wasn't a dream," giggled Akane. "It was real."_

_Ryoga felt like the luckiest man alive._

_He leaned in for another kiss when-_

_*SPLASH*_

_Akane and Ryoga got drenched with water. _

_And unfortunately for Ryoga, the water was…. cold._

_So while Akane was rubbing her eyes, Ryoga transformed into his cursed form._

_"Who's bright idea was it to splash cold water all over us!" thought P-Chan, furiously. _

_It didn't take him long to find the perpetrator. And the incident made a lot more sense._

_"What the hell?" Akane asked no one in particular. "Who splashed water on me and Ryoga?"_

_She finally opened her eyes… and was surprised at the sight. And confused._

_"Huh? Where did Ryoga go?" Akane asked, looking around her._

_"Do you mean this?" asked a voice._

_Akane turned to the voice._

_"Kasumi? What are you doing here?" questioned Akane. _

_Kasumi only offered a small, cute black pig that looked awfully guilt-stricken… _

_"P-Chan?! Why are you here?"_

_Kasumi only dropped P-Chan, letting him hit the ground in a painful position. He let out a squeal._

_"What was that for?" Akane asked, glaring at her older sister._

_"This is not P-Chan," was her reply as she proceeded to pour warm water all over P-Chan._

_One minute, P-Chan was laying on the floor. The next, he turned into a muscular teenage boy._

_"R-Ryoga?" Akane asked in a shocked state. "Y-you're P-Chan?"_

_"I can explain," was all he said, looking at the ground shamefully._

_It was silent for a moment when… _

_"ARGH!" screamed Akane. "I trusted you! I even loved you! And you kept a secret like this from me? You pervert! I hope you burn in Hell!"_

_Akane turned around and started crying._

_"I hate boys. But especially you, Ryoga. I hate you so much!"_

_With that, Akane ran away. _

_Ryoga only looked on, cursing his past decisions that led to this moment._

_"I really hate myself," he said to himself, quietly._

_"As you should," agreed Kasumi. It seemed as if she was able to hear Ryoga. "Regardless if you feel remorse or not, you need to be punished. As such, I prepared this."_

_Out of absolutely nowhere, Kasumi pulled out a scorching hot pot full of water._

_Ryoga looked at the pot with a horrified expression._

_"Y-you're not going to boil me alive, are you?!"_

_"Why, of course. After what you did to Akane, this is the fairest thing to do," replied Kasumi, a rare sinister smile on her face. "Plus, I've been craving pork chops lately."_

_Kasumi pulled out a bottle of ice-cold water and splashed Ryoga, triggering his transformation. _

_"So long, Ryoga," said Kasumi, picking up the wet and scared pig and dangling him over the pot of water. "It's been nice knowing you, but I think it's time for you to go."_

_With that, Kasumi let go of Ryoga, letting him fall from her hand and into the pot!_

_"AHHHHHHH~~~"_

"~~HHHHH!" screamed Ryoga as he woke up in cold fright. His entire body was furiously sweating and there were tears in his eyes. He then realized that he was not in a pot full of boiling water.

"It was just a dream," Ryoga said to himself as he examined his hands and body for any cuts or burns. "It was just a dream."

He then put his hands over his face and made a silent prayer, thanking God he wasn't dead yet.

After he was done, he took a look around the room.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. From the futon he was in, he could see that he was in a dark, windowless room. The doors were closed and no sunlight penetrated the room. "Have I been here before?"

After a few moments of observing his surroundings, Ryoga noticed something.

"Wait, is it just me, or is it a bit drafty in here?"

He pulled on the blanket covering his body… and saw that he was naked. The only thing left on his body was his wet underwear.

"I'm naked?!" he shouted in surprise. "Why?"

"It was me," said a voice from his side.

Ryoga turned to his right… and saw Kasumi looking down at him, holding a pile of clothes in her hand.

She did not look happy at all. In fact, if Ryoga wasn't mistaken, she almost looked angry.

"Hey Kasumi," Ryoga greeted nervously. "Umm… what did you do exactly and how did I end up here?"

Kasumi looked at Ryoga in disbelief.

"You seriously cannot be asking me this question," replied Kasumi. "After everything that happened, you cannot be asking that. Just how dense are you?"

"Uhh… "

The situation was increasingly getting difficult. And it didn't help that Ryoga was helplessly confused.

"Here, maybe this will jog up your memory," said Kasumi, tossing Ryoga's slightly damp clothes at him. "P-Chan."

Ryoga looked at Kasumi in horror. As his clothes hit him, his memories came rushing back to him from the past hour. Particularly the one where Kasumi discovered his cursed form.

And suddenly, everything made a little more sense.

"Ah, so that's why I had that dream… " murmured Ryoga.

"What dream?"

"Ah, it's nothing," said Ryoga dismissively as he put his shirt on. "Say, why exactly are my clothes so wet?"

"After you passed out, your clothes were wet. I was contemplating on whether I should dry them, like I usually do, or make them wetter for you, due to obvious reasons. In the end, I compromised and did neither, which is why your clothes are a tad moist."

"I guess that's fair," said Ryoga after a moment. "I mean, I did do something really unforgiving."

"Indeed," agreed Kasumi. "What you did was unforgivable. And you did it multiple times! I thought better of you, Ryoga. I treated you like a brother. And now I find out that you did something like this." Kasumi let out a sad sigh. "I'm very disappointed in you."

"Yeah," replied Ryoga miserably. "I'm disappointed in myself as well. I knew what I was doing was morally wrong. I even asked myself 'why am I doing something as horrible as this?' And yet, I still did it."

All Kasumi did was offer Ryoga some tea while he talked.

"Here, drink this. Then I will ask you some questions."

"Thanks, Kasumi," said Ryoga, grabbing the cup of tea and chugging it. After a moment, however, he nearly spits it out.

After all, it was cold and bitter.

"What the hell is this?"

"I'm sorry?" asked Kasumi. "Are you complaining to me after you 'slept' with my sister, or is that me?"

"Ah, nevermind," Ryoga replied quietly. He took another sip of the tea. "This is quite good."

"Thank you," replied Kasumi with an icy smile.

"So," Ryoga started, finally finished with the bitter tea. "You have some questions for me?"

"Yes, I did," responded Kasumi. "My first question is this: why did you do it? Why did you 'sleep' with my sister without her consent?"

"Um, well," Ryoga started, sweat forming on his body. He didn't have a really good reason for why he slept with Akane as P-Chan. Or what he pretended to be a pet when he wasn't one. Well, maybe he did…

"Haven't you ever done something you knew was wrong, and yet you still did it?" questioned Ryoga.

Kasumi pondered the question. Had she ever done something she knew was wrong?

Kasumi would like to think she hadn't done anything morally wrong. After all, she was a sweet, kind girl, a motherly figure, someone people could turn to when at times in despair. She couldn't imagine that she would do something horrible. Something like what Ryoga did.

She wasn't sure what to say, so she just told the truth.

"I'm not sure, actually," admitted Kasumi. "Most of my actions are usually helpful, mild-mannered, and without malice. I can't imagine myself doing something wrong when I know it is wrong."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," said Ryoga after a moment. "I can't imagine you doing something you know is wrong. It's just not in your nature."

A deafening silence then consumed the two. Ryoga was carefully thinking of his next words while Kasumi was patiently waiting for him to talk.

"Well, even though you haven't done it, I have," Ryoga said, breaking the silence. "As I said earlier, I knew what I did was wrong. And yet I still did it. I abused my pig 'curse' and pretended to be Akane's pet. I even 'slept' with her. Why? I don't really know. But I do have a hunch."

Ryoga took a deep breath.

"You see, my family is inflicted with this directional 'curse.' We can't go from one place to another without getting lost. Even if we're given directions! My parents suffer from it. So do my grandparents. Even my aunts and uncles and cousins. In fact, the last time we saw each other was about a year ago and I haven't seen anyone since. Can you imagine how sad that is?"

Ryoga let out a sigh.

"Look, what I'm trying to say that because of my family's ability to get lost basically anywhere, I've been by myself for most of my life. Everything and anything I did, I did it myself. In other words, I've been lonely my entire life."

Ryoga paused for a second and let his words sit there.

"So I've been lonely for a long time now. That is, I was feeling lonely… until I met Akane.

"When I first met Akane, we started off on the wrong foot, mostly because of the fight Ranma and I were in. I mean, I accidentally cut off her hair when I was trying to attack Ranma. So that was a horrible first impression."

"Indeed," chimed Kasumi.

"But when Akane met me again, this time in my cursed pig form, she treated me with kindness and tenderness, much like how a mom takes care of her young child. Her actions were heavenly," said Ryoga, a dreamy expression on his face.

Suddenly, his expression soured.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Ranma," he said bitterly. "That bastard tormented me like the jerk he is. But no matter. His harassment only made Akane's treatment more pleasurable for me."

He let out a sigh.

"And then that night, when Akane took me to bed, it was one of the best feelings of my entire life. Like seriously. At first, I was scared. I knew I shouldn't be there and I was trying to think of ways to escape. But then Akane started cuddling me and started talking to me in a soft, happy voice. It just… melted me. It made me feel warm inside. As the night went on, Akane kept on hugging me even though she was fast asleep and I was left there, asking myself 'what is this warm feeling?' over and over again. And as I was about to fall asleep, I found my answer; I didn't feel lonely anymore. This girl, Akane, was able to drive away my loneliness and make me, well, not lonely. I… can't explain the feeling. All I know is that I felt warm and mellow inside. I felt like I was wanted by someone. And that someone was Akane.

"And so, whenever I found myself in Nerima, I would make sure to turn into P-Chan so Akane would find me and treat me like how she did that night. All I wanted was to not feel lonely, and Akane did exactly that each time. As time went on, to realize what I did was wrong, but I brushed it off because I wanted to feel happy and not lonely. And then, before I knew it, I started to fall in love with Akane.

"So whenever I saw Akane during the day, I would try to get a little closer to her, bring her gifts, and build up my courage to profess my love. And each night, I turned into her beloved P-Chan. I was basically killing two birds with one stone.

"But over time, my guilt was overwhelming the happiness I felt. Some nights I would wake up and feel ashamed of what I was doing as 'P-Chan,' but then I would see Akane's face and feel all happy again. It really was disgusting.

"Eventually, I decided enough was enough and tried avoiding Nerima and Akane. I went on random trips all around Japan. But each time, I would find myself back here as P-Chan. It really was frustrating. Especially since I knew she didn't love me; she just loved P-Chan. And even when I was my normal self, she only saw me as a friend. It was pretty depressing

"Then I met Akari, and everything changed. She basically saved me. Despite all my flaws, she accepted me and loved me. And in time, I fell in love with her. She helped me move on from Akane, as myself and P-Chan.

"That doesn't mean that I still don't have feelings for Akane, because I still do. But they're not as strong as my feelings for Akari. Plus, if it means anything, I haven't slept as P-Chan with Akane ever since I met Akari.

"But, yeah. That's my tale. It was probably me just rambling gibberish to you, but hopefully you understand," finished Ryoga, an apologetic smile on his face.

Kasumi, who was still digesting Ryoga's story, shook her head.

"It wasn't gibberish. And yes, I did understand what you said," assured Kasumi in a somewhat calm and soothing voice.

To say the least, Kasumi was… confused? Conflicted. Yes, that's the word. Conflicted because she didn't know that Ryoga was lonely even though she knew him for a while now. It's been more than a year since she met the boy with serious directional issues. And yet, it should've been obvious to her. His sense of directions should have given it away.

She was also conflicted about what she should do with Ryoga. Indeed, his tale was a bit sad, particularly at the beginning, when he went somewhat in-depth about his loneliness. On the other hand, what he did as he pretended to be a pig was morally wrong and while Ryoga does admit that it's wrong and says that he's disappointed in himself, it does not erase the fact that he still committed to the heinous act and did it multiple times.

On that note, Kasumi should still be angry with Ryoga. And yet…

"I think Akane should know," Kasumi said in a neutral voice. She was still furious over what Ryoga did, but he had been honest and gave his reasoning with humility, so the least Kasumi could do now is not let her emotions get the better of her and act, perhaps, a little more hospitable towards the boy.

The blood drained from Ryoga's face.

"W-wait, what did you say?" asked Ryoga in a shaky voice. "I think I misheard you."

"I said, I think Akane should know," answered Kasumi, this time enunciating every word clearly.

"NO! She can't know!" exclaimed Ryoga, his voice full of panic.

"Why not?" questioned Kasumi.

"Because," started Ryoga, trying to think of a reason. "Because… I still want to be Akane's friend."

Kasumi's facial expression went dark.

"You still want to be Akane's friend," she repeated, her voice cold.

"Y-yeah," responded Ryoga weakly. He was starting to get scared now. _"If only I had not come to Nerima today. I could have avoided all this! But then again, I would've been caught sooner or later, so maybe it's a good thing I was caught now, and by Kasumi of all people."_

"After what you did, you don't have the right to be Akane's friend," said Kasumi plainly, glaring at the boy and watching as he withered under her gaze. "Even though I understand your reasoning, it's no excuse."

She then broke eye contact with Ryoga.

"Besides, Akane has every right to know what you did."

Ryoga understood everything Kasumi was saying. He understood it clearly. And he knew what she was saying was right. Ryoga had done a terrible deed by preten- no- by being Akane's pet and taking advantage of the love she showed to him by sleeping with him. It was wrong, and he knew it. So the moral thing to do was to tell Akane the truth.

But Ryoga didn't want to do that. After all, he considered her to be one of his good friends, and he knew she thought the same. He wanted to keep that friendship with her, even years from now.

But, again, Akane deserved to know the truth. She just needed to know. Even if that meant that he, Ryoga, would have to stop being her friend.

Ryoga let out a resigned sigh.

_"I guess this is for the best. What I did was despicable and if the only way to make up for it is to tell Akane the truth, then I will do just that," _he thought sadly. _"Even if it means that I'll never be her friend again."_

"Fine," Ryoga said finally. "Akane can know the truth."

"Glad we're aligned," responded Kasumi with a curt nod. She began to get up. "Now if you'll excuse me."

"Wait," called out Ryoga, as he raised his hand, signaling that he had more to say. "There's one more thing."

Kasumi sat back down. "What is it?"

"I would like to tell Akane the truth," he said.

Kasumi looked at Ryoga with a shocked expression. "Are you sure? I mean, this is Akane we're talking about. Heaven knows how she would react if she found out you were P-Chan."

"Well, not directly," he responded, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Through a letter. I was thinking of writing a letter to her, telling her that I am P-Chan, and confessing to my deeds. And you would give her the letter."

"Ah, that's a bit more understandable," said Kasumi with a nod. "Although it would have been awfully brave of you to tell her the truth to her face. It might have changed my opinion about you."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"No, no, it's alright," she said, shaking your head. "Whether or not you had told Akane the truth about P-Chan to her face, I wouldn't have forgiven you. And I think it will be the same for Akane."

"Yeah," was all Ryoga managed to say. "Um… one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if I stay the night and leave first thing tomorrow morning ?" he asked. "I'll leave the letter with you so you can give it to Akane as soon as I leave."

"Well," started Kasumi, carefully thinking of her next words. "I guess it's the least I can do, considering that you were honest and have decided to tell her the truth. So yes, you can stay until tomorrow morning."

Ryoga let out a sigh of relief.

"However, once you leave Nerima, you better not step foot in this town again," she said sternly. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," replied Ryoga, fear starting to consume him again.

"Good boy," said Kasumi, giving Ryoga a smile- a genuine smile!- while getting. "Now then, if you will excuse me."

Ryoga gave her a small bow from where he was sitting as she picked up the cups of tea and walked out of the room, leaving him alone.

Once Kasumi had left, he began looking around the room and noticed how dark it was. The darkness matched his misery perfectly.

It was as if he was in a cave, walking around aimlessly and without any will to escape.

While Ryoga sat there in the dark, he contemplated his decisions over the past couple of months or so.

_"Why did I do that?" _he thought over and over again as he cursed himself. _"If only I hadn't slept with Akane as P-Chan, if only I had stopped myself from being her pet, then I would still be Akane's friend. Right? If I hadn't done any of those things, Akane would still consider me a friend, right?"_

Indeed, the poor young man was extremely depressed, even though he knew that his consequences were inevitable.

And so, he did something he had not done ever since he met Akane and stopped feeling lonely.

Ryoga began to cry.

And he didn't stop until he fell asleep.

**A/N:** Damn, that was a lot. At least, to me it was. But still, it was a lot of fun writing it! Hopefully you guys enjoyed reading it. I would apologize for any errors in my story(because, trust me, there are a lot), but some people told me that saying "sorry" makes me seem like I want sympathy, which isn't true. I'm genuinely sorry for my awful writing, even though I believe I get better every time. This time, however, I'm not going to apologize because, like I said, I don't want sympathy. Instead, I'm going to say I'm proud about my writing, which is true. I really am proud on what I wrote for this chapter. Too bad it took my 7 months to write...

Which brings we to my next talking point. Why did this chapter take me 7 months to write? I bet most of you guys are wondering why. Here's my reason.

Simply put, I've been busy. Not just with schoolwork, but also writing. You see, I'm writing this story with another author(his name in **FFN** is **SonicThunderSaiyanTurtle**; you should check him out and our story. It's pretty good imo!) and, well, I have been busy writing with him. After all, we write pretty lengthy chapters. As a result, I haven't been able to write for this story. Then school ended for the summer and I thought "Finally! I'll get a chance to write!" But that didn't happen because I decided it would be a good idea to write fanfics for other fandoms(I only uploaded one story from another fandom and dropped the others because I got bored). Plus, I was just lazy. And then Junior year came along, and I got piled with so much work that I didn't get a chance to write. Then I realized that I wouldn't get much time to write this year or next year. Like I said, I'm a Junior right now. Next year I'll be a Senior. I'll be graduating pretty soon and I'll be really busy taking tests and whatnot as I prepare to go to college.

Upon realizing this, I decided I should probably update my story because, well, I knew I wouldn't get much time to write in the future. Also because I needed to tell you guys that I'll be going on a long-term hiatus. If I just said I was going on hiatus, some of you guys would be surprised and disappointed, especially if I said nothing about a hiatus. So yeah. That's my explanation for why I've been away for so long and why I'll be going on hiatus. Hopefully you guys understand. I hope all of you guys will come back when I return.

Other than that, I think it's time to celebrate. Why? Because the birthday for this story passed recently! Get the cake out! It's time to party! Man, I can't believe it's been a year. With how hectic 2020 has been, it feels as if a century passed, not a year lol. But yea. Happy Birthday to this story(that's part of the reason why i updated my story now; I'm such a weird guy, aren't I?)!

Well, that's about it for me. I'm sorry that I have to leave, but I must do it. I just can't focus on too many stories while also doing classes. I hope you guys understand and I look forward to seeing you guys again! Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it(even though I can tell that it's bad; still, I'm proud of it). Until next time, I suppose. Have a nice day! Cheers!

-**DaniFuli**


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